A few dozen pro-Palestinian students staged a graduation walkout Sunday at Duke University in protest of commencement speaker Jerry Seinfeld, a Jewish comedian and supporter of Israel.
Immediately after Mr. Seinfeld was introduced, students in graduation robes began booing and walking off the lawn at Wallace Wade Stadium, some chanting “free Palestine” and carrying a Palestinian flag, as shown on video posts.
Other students cheered the comedian and chanted “Jerry!” Those who remained also gave him a standing ovation at the end of his commencement remarks.
A prominent defender of Israel, Mr. Seinfeld visited a kibbutz on the Gaza border and met with the families of hostages in December in a show of solidarity following the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians and others, which prompted Israel to declare war.
Mr. Seinfeld, who received an honorary doctorate, delivered his commencement address without further interruption and without mentioning the walkout.
He told students that they should “let go of this idea that you have to find this one great thing that is my passion.”
“I can’t imagine how sick you are of hearing about following your passion. I say to hell with passion,” he said. “Find something you can do. That would be great. If you try something and it doesn’t work, that’s OK too. Most things do not work.”
Imagine walking out on Jerry Seinfeld in support of Hamas. He and Larry David couldn’t have scripted a story this ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/FaIsa3zBcE
— Richard Hanania (@RichardHanania) May 12, 2024
Jokes aside, he said the three keys to life are “bust your ass,” “pay attention,” and “fall in love.”
Mr. Seinfeld also defended the concept of “privilege,” saying that “privilege is a word that has taken quite a beating lately.”
“Privilege appears to be the worst thing you can have,” he said. “I would like to take a moment to defend it. Again, a lot of you are thinking, I can’t believe they invited this guy. Too late.”
He continued: “I say, use your privilege. I grew up a Jewish boy from New York. That is a privilege if you want to be a comedian.”
Much to Duke’s delight, Mr. Seinfeld took a shot at Harvard University, saying that, “You’re never going to believe this, but Harvard used to be a great place to go to school. Now it’s Duke.”
The walkout came with universities nationwide roiled by anti-Israel protests over the Israel-Hamas War, prompting some colleges to cancel their main-stage graduation ceremonies or move them to more secure locations.
Duke spokesperson Frank Tramble addressed the walkout in a statement after the commencement ceremony.
“We understand the depth of feeling in our community, and as we have all year, we respect the right of everyone at Duke to express their views peacefully, without preventing graduates and their families from celebrating their achievement,” Mr. Tramble told Reuters news agency.