Jerry Seinfeld, a comedian and actor best known for writing and acting in the popular ’90s sitcom Seinfeld, saw his stand-up show last Friday in Syracuse, New York, protested by hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists.
The protestors, who gathered outside the Landmark Theatre in downtown Syracuse, chanted that Seinfeld is “complicit in genocide” against the Palestinians and demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hamas as well as an end to all U.S. aid to Israel. Police officers were deployed to ensure that ticket-holders could safely enter the theater.
Seinfeld, who is Jewish, posted an image that read “I Stand With Israel” on Instagram after Hamas terrorists murdered and kidnapped hundreds of Israeli civilians in a surprise invasion on Oct. 7. “My heart is breaking from these attacks and atrocities,” he wrote in the post. “But we are also a very strong people in our hearts and minds.”
“We believe in justice, freedom and equality,” Seinfeld added. “We survive and flourish no matter what. I will always stand with Israel and the Jewish people.” (READ MORE: Jerry Seinfeld’s Individualism and the Racists Who Abhor It)
The comedian also called out his Hollywood colleagues for not denouncing the atrocities committed by Hamas and the recent rise in antisemitism across the U.S. He co-signed a letter singling out the Writers Guild of America as the “only major Hollywood union” to not have publicly addressed the Hamas invasion then.
The “Shut It Down 4 Palestine” protest outside Seinfeld’s show was organized in part by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, which accused Israel of “[continuing] to escalate its genocidal atrocities day by day” and “bombing and starving Palestinians indiscriminately.” (READ MORE: Pro-Palestinian Protest Crashes Harvard–Yale Game)
“And [Israel]’s doing so out in the open — with U.S. funding and weapons. The United States is directly responsible for every martyr’s death,” the socialist organization added, while noting that there will be “no holiday entertainment as usual until Palestine is free.” (READ MORE: Biden Wants Hamas To Win)