Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) publicly ditched his Harvard University graduation hood on Wednesday during his address at the commencement of Yeshiva University, a religious Jewish college in New York.
Fetterman, who received a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 1999, has become one of the few staunchly pro-Israel voices in the Democratic Party in the months since the Hamas terror attack of October 7.
Yeshiva University awarded Fetterman its Presidential Medallion, the highest honor awarded by the institution.
Yet his speech was perhaps even more remarkable, reflecting his disgust at Harvard’s inability to stand up to antisemitism over months of protests that culminated in the university capitulating to anti-Israel student demands, and hosting a graduation speaker who spouted antisemitic rhetoric from the podium during commencement.
As he removed his Harvard hood, which is typically worn over a black academic gown to symbolize a master’s degree from the institution, Fetterman told the audience at Yeshiva University: “Today I have been profoundly disappointed the way Harvard’s inability to stand up for the Jewish community … and for me personally I do not fundamentally believe that it is right for me to wear this today.”
In a symbolic gesture of disappointment with his alma mater, @Harvard, Senator Fetterman removed the crimson hood from his robe while delivering his @YUNews commencement address earlier today. pic.twitter.com/o7yZEupm36
— Dovi Safier (@safier) May 29, 2024
Fetterman received a standing ovation from those present.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent e-book, “The Trumpian Virtues: The Lessons and Legacy of Donald Trump’s Presidency,” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
