Comedian Jerry Seinfeld mocked Harvard University during his commencement speech at Duke University on Sunday after several anti-Israel students walked out of the ceremony as he was introduced.
“I'm not talking about Harvard now. I'm talking about what Harvard used to be. You'd never believe something like this. Harvard used to be the best place to go to school. “It's now Duke University,” he said. , noted that in the '90s his staff was full of Harvard graduates who were shy about attending Ivy League schools.
After Seinfeld, a vocal supporter of Israel, was introduced, some students chanted “Liberate Palestine” as they left the ceremony. Anti-Israel students have set up camps at universities across the United States, including Harvard University, protesting the school's investment in Israel and the Israel-Hamas war.
Seinfeld did not mention the protesters in his speech, instead focusing on his message to Duke University graduates.
'Unfrosted' writer, director and star Jerry Seinfeld poses at the premiere of the Netflix movie at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles on Tuesday, April 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Live updates: Anti-Israel protesters disrupt university graduation ceremony as campus demonstrations continue
Seinfeld spoke to graduates about the “three true keys to life,” which he said are “forget yourself,” pay attention, and fall in love.
“I don't care what you do, whether it's a job, a hobby, a relationship, a reservation at M Sushi,” the comedian said. “Effort. Just naive, stupid, and have no idea what you're doing here. Effort is always an effort, even if the result of that effort is a complete failure of the desired result It creates positive value. It's not a bad approach to just swinging a bat and praying.”
He told the graduates to fall in love with everything they do, not just their relationships.
“Fall in love with coffee. Fall in love with sneakers. Fall in love with Blue Zone parking spaces. Falling in love with stupid, meaningless physical objects has been a lot of fun in my life,” Seinfeld said. Told. “I've really spent my life concentrating on the smallest things I can think of, completely oblivious to the big problems in life.''
Jerry Seinfeld appears on “TODAY” on Wednesday, April 24, 2024. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)
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According to Israeli news outlet Haaretz, Seinfeld visited Israel in December and held “emotional” talks with representatives of freed hostages and families whose loved ones are still held captive in Gaza. It is reported that.
“Well, I'm Jewish,” the comedian said in an interview with GQ magazine about his reason for visiting Israel. “And you grow up learning about anti-Semitism, but it's like in the book, when people think of me as anything other than, 'I like this comedian. I don't like this comedian.' I never thought that I would be seen.''I don't think most Jews of my generation ever thought about anti-Semitism, but it was something different. ”
Jerry Seinfeld and his wife Jessica Seinfeld arrive on the Met Gala 2024 red carpet wearing black suits and black and white dresses. (Getty Images)
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FOX News' Jeffrey Clark contributed to this report.
Hannah Panlec is an associate editor at Fox News.