Sen. John Fetterman told Yeshiva University graduates Wednesday that he was “profoundly disappointed” in Harvard University’s inability to address antisemitism on campus before removing the ceremonial crimson academic hood representing his alma mater.
The Pennsylvania Democrat expressed his disapproval with the Ivy League school during his commencement address for the private Orthodox Jewish university, which bestowed him with its “Hero of Israel” award, the institution’s highest honor.
“I have been profoundly disappointed [in] Harvard’s inability to stand up for the Jewish community after Oct. 7,” Fetterman, 54, told the new grads at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.
“Personally, I do not fundamentally believe that it is right for me to wear this today,” the senator added as he removed the Harvard hood, identifying him as an alum, from around his neck.
Fetterman, a staunch supporter of Israel’s war against Hamas, received a standing ovation after the symbolic gesture.
“The Jewish community everywhere deserves our support,” he added. “And I promise you will always have mine.”
Fetterman’s remarks were well received, and he was spotted dancing with students and school leaders after delivering his speech.
Former Harvard University President Claudine Gay faced a firestorm of criticism in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on the Jewish state over her failure to criticize 30 Harvard student groups that published a letter holding Israel “entirely responsible” for Hamas’ deadly rampage.
Gay then appeared before Congress on Dec. 5, where she refused to say that anyone calling for the genocide of Jewish people at the university would be punished.
Harvard faculty members stood behind Gay at the time, releasing a letter which called on the administration to not to bow to political pressure.
Gay resigned as president in January following unrelated plagiarism allegation, but remains on the faculty as a professor of government and African and African American studies.
Fetterman received his undergraduate degree in 1991 from Albright College in Pennsylvania and obtained a MBA from the University of Connecticut in 1993.
The senator graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 1999 with a Master of Public Policy degree. He has previously said that he doesn’t “recognize” the school as the same place he once attended.
“As an alum of Harvard — look, I graduated 25 years ago, and of course it was always a little pinko,” he told Semafor in January. “But now, I don’t recognize it.”
Last month, Fetterman endorsed former Massachusetts governor and current Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney to take over the presidency at Harvard, which is currently being held on an interim basis by Alan Garver, the university’s former provost.