“I’m just a senator with a big mouth that happens to be committed to Israel,” said Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) at Yeshiva University’s 93rd annual commencement ceremony on Wednesday. Fetterman received the private Modern Orthodox Jewish University’s highest honor for global leadership, the Presidential Medallion.
“It is truly humbling to be invited to share in this milestone with the graduates of Yeshiva University,” said Fetterman. “As we gather to celebrate the achievements of the graduating class, we must also acknowledge the profound significance of their journey within the context of the recent surge in antisemitism across the country.”
Fetterman said he was surprised by the invitation to speak at the ceremony, especially after finding out that last year’s commencement speaker was the inventor of Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. “I don’t belong in that company, I truly don’t,” Fetterman, 54, told the 1,700 graduates at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.
Since the Israel-Hamas war began nearly eight months ago, Fetterman has been one of the most outspoken supporters of Israel at the U.S. Capitol, wallpapering his office with the pictures of hostages held by Hamas and wearing dog tags to show his support for their release.
He wore the Israeli flag like a cape to a pro-Israel march on the National Mall and waved it from the roof of his home as protesters chanting below accused him of “supporting genocide.” He mocked the “pup tent intifada” on college campuses, urged unconditional support for Israel, and countered calls for an Israeli ceasefire by placing the blame for the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza squarely on the terror group Hamas.
“There’s a very clear right side on this,” he says, comparing Hamas to the Nazis in World War II. “That kind of evil cannot be allowed to operate. Because if it is, how are we ever going to have peace?”
Fetterman has also criticized other colleges for “capitulating to misbegotten demands” from protesters who have called to boycott Israel.
The senator graduated from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 1999 with a Master of Public Policy. “Personally, I do not fundamentally believe that it’s right for me to wear this today,” the senator said at the commencement ceremony to a standing ovation, as he removed the Harvard hood, identifying him as an alum, from around his neck.
“I have been profoundly disappointed [in] Harvard’s inability to stand up for the Jewish community after October 7,” he added.
“Senator Fetterman is one of the true heroes of our time for his unwavering and courageous commitment to moral clarity, which has fortified our community and been a clarion call for our country,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of Yeshiva University. “At this critical moment in Jewish and American history, our commencement exercises mark not just an enormous accomplishment for our students, but also for the global community.”
“Standing for Israel is a source of great strength for our community and it’s our privilege to honor him,” Berman.
Fetterman’s remarks were very well received, and he was later spotted dancing with students and school leaders to the song “Geshmak to Be a Yid” (“It’s delightful to be Jewish”).
“The Jewish community everywhere deserves our support,” said Fetterman. “And I promise you will always have mine. Just like you, my heart is with all of the hostages and the Israeli soldiers defending their country.”
“The Jewish community everywhere deserves our support,” said Fetterman. “And I promise you will always have mine. Just like you, my heart is with all of the hostages and the Israeli soldiers defending their country.”
“And I will not stop speaking out until every last hostage is brought back home,” he added.
Karen Lehrman Bloch is a Jewish Journal contributor and editor in chief of White Rose Magazine.
