
Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was proclaimed an “American patriot” and “Hero of Israel” by the Orthodox Jewish Yeshiva University on Wednesday. The award was for his ongoing support of the “genocidal” state of Israel and its military antics overseas.
- A press release from the Jewish school indicated Fetterman would receive the “Presidential Medallion” during its 93rd annual commencement ceremony on Wednesday. Fetterman, a hoodie-wearing “everyman” who is known for his casual attire, actually had a privileged upbringing and holds a Masters of Public Policy degree from Harvard University.
- Yeshiva University, a private Orthodox Jewish school, will celebrate more than 1,700 graduates at its commencement later this week at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York City. According to the school, over 5,000 Jews are set to attend.
- Fetterman’s Zionist rhetoric has often ruffled the feathers of his fellow progressives, calling for additional bombs to be sent to the IDF, and praising the legally dubious siege of Gaza, which, at the time of press, has killed over 30,000 Palestinians and counting.
Praise and support: In a press release for the university, a spokesman praised Fetterman for his support of the embattled Jewish state, and Fetterman returned the gesture in kind.
- “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…During this dark period of rampant antisemitism and polarization across college campuses, Yeshiva University students stand out for their academic excellence, character, and commitment to service,” he continued.
- “I unequivocally support any necessary military, intelligence, and humanitarian aid to Israel. The United States has a moral obligation to be in lockstep with our ally as they confront this threat,” Fetterman wrote in an official statement.
John Fetterman spent the night standing on a rooftop waving an Israeli flag at protestors in Pennsylvania. Just an unbelievable sight to see. pic.twitter.com/5sJHMTLMht
— James Ray 🔻 (@GoodVibePolitik) January 27, 2024
The conversation: While the Senator said he was “humbled” over the award, Fetterman’s critics have done nothing but express their outrage over his ongoing support for Palestinian suffering in Gaza.
- “John Fetterman is unhappy with the opinion of the majority of Americans about the Israeli genocide of Palestinians and has pledged allegiance to another country’s flag. It’s time for Fetterman to go,” said one user on X/Twitter.
- “How does it work for an ogre like you taking “Zionist” money originating from the very same hard-working Americans who are against forced complicity with Israel’s genocide? While Palestinian babies starve, normal people live a nightmare that you helped create and now perpetuate,” read another.
- “Fetterman is a Zionist ogre,” read another.

In the headlines: Fetterman has joined a growing list of American politicians on both sides of the aisle who are willing to make unprincipled exceptions in favor of appeasing the Israel lobby.
- On Memorial Day, former Presidential candidate Nimarata “Nikki” Haley was pictured writing “Finish them” on an IDF munition during a trip to Israel. Like Fetterman, the move sparked outrage and appeared to follow a trend of overtly Zionist rhetoric to come from Haley in recent years.
- Earlier in the month, a bombshell report by WaPo unveiled a secret plot by Jewish billionaires to pressure NYC Mayor Eric Adams into using the NYPD to crush a pro-Palestine protest fomenting at Columbia University. The NYPD raid—which resulted in mass arrests and gunfire—culminated in the use of SWAT teams, siege towers, and other paramilitary equipment against what amounted to a peaceful sit-in.
- In April, Texas Governor Greg Abbott supported the arrest of dozens of student protestors on college campuses across the Lone Star state, purely over what he called acts of “antisemitism.” The wheelchair-bound Republican has previously called freedom of speech an “enemy,” contradicting an executive order he signed in 2019 to specifically protect “free speech on campus.”
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