Cornell University is being slammed for inviting “vile Jew-hater” singer and dancer Kehlani to perform on campus. The Ivy League institution defended its decision, saying the school is only giving its students what they want.
“Kehlani isn’t just an artist with controversial views — she is someone who has publicly glorified violence against Jews and consistently promoted dangerous, antisemitic rhetoric that directly threatens our community,” Cornell student Amanda Silberstein told New York Post.
Notably, 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.
The singer has also posted to social media a map that eliminates the state of Israel, as well as refused to condemn Hamas for the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack and massacre of Jews in Israel.
“For a university that claims to value inclusion and the safety for all students, this decision is not just tone-deaf — it’s profoundly alienating,” Silberstein, who is the president of the school’s Chabad Center, as well as the vice president of the Cornell for Israel student group, said.
“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,” the student added.
Cornell University has reportedly defended its upcoming May 7 event featuring Kehlani, claiming the school is only giving its students what they want.
View this post on Instagram
“The headliner is selected by the student-run Slope Day Planning Board following a poll of students,” a Cornell spokesperson told New York Post. “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 university spokesperson further insisted, “The personal views expressed by this artist are their own and do not represent the university.”
“However, the artist must uphold Cornell’s anti-discrimination policies, which includes prohibition of political expression as part of the concert. Failure to do so constitutes breach of contract and will result in loss of payment,” the Cornell spokesperson added.
Last year, the watchdog group StopAntisemitism named Kehlani its “Antisemite of the week” in a July 16 X post, declaring that the pop star is “calling for the eradication of Jewish people, and defending Hamas and glorified violence” before her 20 million social media followers.
20 million followers.
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) July 17, 2024
That's how many people pop singer Kehlani reaches to spew her vile antisemitism, which includes calling for the eradication of Jewish people and defending Hamas & glorified violence
Contact her record label, Atlantic Records, here: https://t.co/LIydWAvqoa pic.twitter.com/CSbKekTytc
“Kehlani uses her platform of 20 million followers, more than the number of Jews on the planet, to incite hate against the world’s only Jewish state,” StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez said.
“She openly calls for intifada, the violent targeting of Jews, and the eradication of Zionists, code for over 95 percent of the global Jewish population,” Rez continued, adding, “Now, Cornell is doubling down by featuring vile Jew-hater Kehlani as a headliner for their end-of-year celebration.”
“Black students wouldn’t be expected to welcome a KKK rock band on campus. Asian students weren’t told, ‘Asian hate — Get over it.’ So why are Jewish students treated as the exception?” Rez inquired.
StopAntisemitism has accused Kehlani of supporting the terrorist regime Hamas, citing the singer’s “Next 2 U” music video that praised the Palestinian terror group by declaring, “Long live the Intifada” at the start of the video, and going on to showcase dancers wearing keffiyehs, waving Palestinian flags.
Watch Below:
View this post on Instagram
Moreover, Kehlani refused to condemn Hamas for the massacre of Israeli civilians that day and instead “directly called for the destruction of Israel and its people,” StopAntisemitism said.
Alana Mastrangelo is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
