Cornell University has opted to drop controversial anti-Israel performer Kehlani from its Slope Day after the University President Michael Kotlikoff said the initial decision “injected division and discord.”
The university came under fire for inviting Kehlani, described as a “vile Jew-hater,” to perform on its Ivy League campus. As Breitbart News reported, “Kehlani has a music video that begins with, ‘Long live the Intifada,’ an Arabic word that translates to ‘shaking off’ and in the Palestinian context, is understood to mean a civil uprising.”
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She has also posted anti-Israel sentiments on social media, posting maps eliminating the state of Israel completely. Yet, Cornell initially defended the decision to feature her, a spokesperson stating the headliner was “selected by the student-run Slope Day Planning Board following a poll of students.”
“Kehlani was chosen based on her popularity and the genre of her music. She recently performed at Northeastern University without political expression or incident,” the spokesperson added.
Backlash has been so severe, however, that the decision has been reversed by President Michael Kotlikoff.
“Unfortunately, although it was not the intention, the selection of Kehlani as this year’s headliner has injected division and discord into Slope Day,” he stated, according to the New York Post.
“In the days since Kehlani was announced, I have heard grave concerns from our community that many are angry, hurt, and confused that Slope Day would feature a performer who has espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos, and on social media,” he continued, adding that any artist has the right to espouse their views — even if hateful — but the university’s Slope Day “is about uniting our community, not dividing it.”
Cornell student Amanda Silberstein, president of the school’s Chabad Center and vice president of the Cornell for Israel student group, was among those who initially criticized the controversial choice.
“For a university that claims to value inclusion and safety for all students, this decision is not just tone-deaf — it’s profoundly alienating,” Silberstein stated.
“By inviting someone with such a deeply troubling history of antisemitism to headline one of our most high-profile campus events, Cornell is sending a message that Jewish safety and wellbeing are negotiable,” she added.
