Seinfeld compares Free Palestine to Ku Klux Klan at Duke appearance

Jerry Seinfeld compared the “Free Palestine” slogan to the Ku Klux Klan during a surprise appearance at Duke University on Tuesday, saying the Klan was “a little better” because it could “come right out and say, We don’t like Blacks, we don’t like Jews,” according to the Duke student newspaper. Seinfeld made the remarks while introducing Omer Shem Tov, an Israeli who was abducted by Hamas at the Oct. 7, 2023, Nova music festival and held captive for 505 days.

Seinfeld, 71, was invited to the student-led event organized primarily by Chabad at Duke with logistical support from several university groups. A Duke spokesperson told the student paper that Seinfeld requested his appearance not be announced in advance so the focus could remain on Shem Tov, and that the university does not preview or endorse the remarks of outside speakers. A representative for Seinfeld did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

At the event, Seinfeld said saying “Free Palestine” allowed people to obscure what he described as hostility toward Jews. “Free Palestine is, to me, just you’re free to say you don’t like Jews,” he said, according to the report. “Just say you don’t like Jews. By saying...