Overview

• At an unannounced appearance at Duke University, Jerry Seinfeld said the slogan 'Free Palestine' masks anti-Jewish sentiment and argued the Ku Klux Klan is more forthright about its hatred, according to The Chronicle.
• Seinfeld appeared alongside Omer Shem Tov, identified as a former Israeli hostage abducted by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, with one column noting he was held for 505 days.
• Local coverage cited at least one Palestinian American student who told ABC11 they felt unsafe in response to Seinfeld’s appearance.
• Opinion writers defending Seinfeld pointed to documented antisemitic episodes at U.S. demonstrations, including swastika displays, hostile chants outside a New Jersey synagogue, and anti-Jewish signs in Philadelphia.
• A separate commentary criticized a Hollywood pledge signed by more than 4,000 film workers for omitting mention of Hamas, quoting a national security analyst who argued the signatories were effectively siding with the group.