Cornell Jewish students speak out against university's selection of anti-Zionist performer
Cornell University has hired a vocally anti-Israel singer for an on-campus concert in Ithaca, New York.
The singer, Kehlani, has previously called for Israel to be dismantled and for Zionism to be eradicated, according to The Washington Free Beacon.
Cornell University has hired a vocally anti-Israel singer for an on-campus concert in Ithaca, New York.
The singer, Kehlani, has previously called for Israel to be dismantled and for Zionism to be eradicated, according to The Washington Free Beacon. “No one should feel comfortable or safe until Zionism is extinguished,” she has previously said.
Anti-Semitism advocates have spoken out against the singer, with one activist calling her a “vile Jew hater,” and said that Cornell needs to be investigated for “foreign funding.”
“Black students wouldn’t be expected to welcome a KKK rock band on campus. Asian students weren’t told, ‘Asian hate Get over it,’” said the founder and director of the non-profit StopAntisemitism, Liora Rez, according to CNY Central. “So why are Jewish students treated as the exception?”
Cornell officials have since stated that they did not know about the performer’s anti-Israel advocacy.
“We found out about the social media of this performer roughly three weeks ago,” Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff stated, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. “It’s too late to secure another performer that will be acceptable or appropriate for Slope Day.”
Students at the school have described the administration’s excuse as “laughable.”
“It’s honestly laughable that they claim they were unaware of her glorification of violence, endorsement of an intifada, or demonization of Jews,” Amanda Silberstein, the president of Cornell Chabad, told The New York Post. “It doesn’t take a private investigator to uncover that—just a quick look at her social media.”
The concert at which Kehlani will perform is funded by Cornell’s Student Activities Fee, which requires undergraduates to pay hundreds of dollars per year, according to the Free Beacon.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration imposed a funding suspension of $1 billion on Cornell in the midst of its ongoing crackdown of schools that have inadequately addressed anti-Semitism on their campuses.
In March 2024, a non-profit organization entitled “Alums for Campus Fairness” urged Jewish students not to attend Cornell due to its alleged atmosphere of anti-Semitism. “Considering Cornell? Cornell is not a safe place for Jewish students,” the nonprofit stated.
Campus Reform has contacted Cornell University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
