Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) publicly discarded his Harvard University graduation hood on Wednesday during his speech at Yeshiva University’s commencement, a religious Jewish college in New York.
Fetterman, who earned a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government in 1999, has emerged as one of the few strong pro-Israel advocates within the Democratic Party following the Hamas terror attack on October 7.
His speech was particularly notable for expressing his disapproval of Harvard’s failure to combat antisemitism amid months of protests, which ended with the university yielding to anti-Israel student demands, and including a graduation speaker who delivered antisemitic remarks.
As he removed his Harvard hood, which typically signifies a master’s degree when worn over a black academic gown, Fetterman addressed the attendees at Yeshiva University: “Today I have been profoundly disappointed with 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.”
Fetterman received a standing ovation from the audience.
