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Celebrity activism has long been a part of American culture. From Jane Fonda’s appearance with the Viet Cong in 1971 to Kanye West’s televised rant on the president’s disaffection for black people, the famous have long embraced the role of aspiring world changer. While I admire the idealism and empathy driving these stars, there is an undeniable triteness about the whole concept.

This thought plagued me as I walked into Haines A2 last Wednesday, where international peace foundation OneVoice was holding a forum on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Among the featured speakers was Jason Alexander, better known to the world as George Costanza from “Seinfeld.”

When I initially learned about the appearance, I was overcome with excitement.

“Oh my God – I get to meet George!” the “Seinfeld”-phile in me exclaimed. But my roommate Andy had a different reaction.

“Is he really the best person they could get for this?” he asked. “I mean, aren’t any prime ministers or diplomats or professors available?”

When an important issue – one that’s quite literally life-or-death for many in the Middle East – is addressed, my first thoughts are imbued with celebrity worship. Forget about resolving the conflict in the Holy Land; I want to meet one of the stars of my all-time favorite sitcom. The more I reflected on the situation, the more absurd it seemed.

To analyze one of the most significant problems in the modern world, we turned to an actor best known for his celebration of the trivial. On “Seinfeld,” George’s thoughts virtually never expanded beyond his own small, banal world – his problems were more along the lines of “I always get the feeling that when lesbians are looking at me they’re thinking, ‘That’s why I’m not a heterosexual.’”

I could only agree with my roommate: Was Alexander really the best person they could get for this?

But I had my own honest, if mildly deplorable, answer: He was the main reason I was attending.

Much of my guilt was assuaged, however, when I began to chat with the gent seated next to me.

“Dude, that’s George from ‘Seinfeld!’” he began. “I stayed on campus all day to see this.”

“So you’re excited about the forum?” I asked, attempting to maintain some sense of solemnity.

“This is the event of the century!” he said lightheartedly.

I asked if he followed the situation in Israel and Palestine closely. The dismissive side-to-side shake of his head confirmed my suspicions – he, like myself, was guided to Haines that windy Wednesday evening not by noble motivations, such as an interest in world affairs or a desire to promote global peace, but by passion for a truly brilliant sitcom. I may have been slightly reprehensible, but at least I wasn’t alone.

Finally, the forum began. An organizer for OnePeace opened the event, briefly describing the mission of the foundation: fostering reconciliation and moderation through grassroots activities in both Israeli and Palestinian territories. It sounded like a worthwhile endeavor. Then came the speakers.

Alexander still looked like his immortal sitcom character, save the addition of a full beard. He spoke with the focus and charisma one would expect from a veteran actor of the screen and stage, captivating the audience with anecdotes about his travels in the Holy Land and jokes about the ludicrous ideas sometimes presented on college campuses. His address, no more than 10 minutes in length, mixed humor and gravity to explain his views on the conflict and, with cautious optimism, the prospects for an enduring end to violence.

Alexander was, quite simply, perfect as a speaker on the Israel-Palestine puzzle. While I entered the forum with a solid background on the conflict, his address inspired a desire to learn even more. In a mere 600 seconds, he gave the strife in Jerusalem a relevancy and importance easily forgotten on the calm streets of Westwood.

It is easy to be cynical about celebrity activists – who are these pampered stars, addressing the rest of us as if they have the answers? But my experience Wednesday showed me the immense value a celebrity with a conscience can have.

Whether a graduate student writing a dissertation on the politics of the Gaza strip or a freshman who couldn’t locate Tel Aviv on a map, Alexander’s comments likely compelled many people in attendance to reflect on the problems of the area – so often given the despairing label of intractable – with renewed vigor.

I only needed to look to my left to witness the value of “George going global.” My fellow “Seinfeld” devotee, who entered chuckling about his favorite moments on the sitcom, was watching the proceedings with great interest; his smile was replaced by the focused look of a person striving to comprehend things he had never previously considered.

“This is eye-opening,” he whispered to me.

E-mail Kearns your favorite “Seinfeld” moment at bkearns@media.ucla.edu.