Thank you to Comedy Legend Jerry Seinfeld for always standing with Israel

    Back in March of this year during the beginning of the war with Iran, I was fortunate enough to be one of the very few people that was able to secure a flight to Israel for Passover to visit my dear family in Jerusalem. I was in a rush to get to the airport and decided to bring my suitcase and carry on with me and get a kosher deli sandwich to go. As I was walking with my suitcases, I saw Jerry Seinfeld and his family walking towards me, in which I yelled out, “Jerry, I’m on my way to Israel!” With a big smile on his face, I conveyed that a dear friend of mine Sharon Gat (CEO of Caliber 3 anti terror training school in Efrat) hosted him and his family when they visited Israel a few years ago (the visit was covered in the Press). Jerry Seinfeld’s visit to Caliber 3, an Israeli counter-terrorism and security academy in Efrat, received a great amount of media attention but showed where he stands with Israel. The academy offers tourists a taste of Israeli military training, including shooting ranges, obstacle courses, Krav Maga instruction, and simulated combat situations. I thanked him for his outspoken advocacy for Israel and we took a picture together and wished each other a Happy Passover.

    Jerry Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, filmmaker, and television producer specializing in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a fictionalized version of himself in the NBC sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998), which he co-created and wrote with Larry David. Seinfeld earned a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy in 1995. The show is one of the most acclaimed and popular sitcoms of all time. He has since created and produced the reality series The Marriage Ref (2010–2011), and created and hosted the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee (2012–2019), the latter of which earned him three Webby Awards. He also co-produced, co-wrote, and starred in the DreamWorks animated film Bee Movie (2007) and the Netflix comedy Unfrosted (2024). But what I admire most about him is that he has not yielded in his support of Israel in a time where Hollywood is flooded with those on the left (and even of Jewish heritage) who have either opted to stay silent or join the mob of antisemites and apologists who don’t recognize that the Nation of Israel is on the right side of History.

   Seinfeld’s unapologetic stance has drawn Pro-Israel advocacy groups and many fans who have lauded him as a “legend” for refusing to back down to public pressure. Following the October 7 attacks, Seinfeld traveled to Tel Aviv to express solidarity. He toured the ravaged Kibbutz Be’eri, met with survivors, and spent time with the families of Israeli hostages in Hostages Square. During a surprise appearance at Duke University, Seinfeld compared the “Free Palestine” movement to the KKK. He argued that the KKK was more honest about its hatred, while the slogan “Free Palestine” serves as a disguised cover for anti-Jewish sentiment. Leaving Madison Square Garden following a New York Knicks game, Seinfeld was ambushed by a streamer asking him to say “Free Palestine”. He laughed and replied, “It doesn’t exist,” before walking away.  Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, global antisemitism has surged to unprecedented levels. In a day and age where we don’t have enough people in the public spotlight taking a stand with the Nation of Israel, I am very proud to have met Jerry and thanked him for his unequivocal and steadfast support. Jerry has acted as a star both on and off the screen and we need more people like him as we fight the good fight on a daily basis.