Cornell students raise thousands for pro-Palestine concert after school drops anti-Zionist singer
Anti-Israel students at Cornell University have raised thousands of dollars for a pro-Palestine concert following the school’s cancellation of a concert featuring a vocal critic of Israel.
The students created the concert following the cancellation of an anti-Israel singer, Kehlani, at the main event run by the school.
Anti-Israel students at Cornell University have raised thousands of dollars for a pro-Palestine concert following the school’s cancellation of a concert featuring a vocal critic of Israel.
The students created the concert following the cancellation of an anti-Israel singer, Kehlani, at the main event run by the school, as reported by The Algemeiner. Students from Cornell and nearby Ithaca College have raised $5,000 toward the pro-Palestine event.
The replacement concert, entitled “Community Slope Day,” has a page on Instagram that advertises it as “a benefit concert for Palestine,” and links to a GoFundMe to help sponsor the event; it is currently scheduled for Wednesday.
“13 days after announcing Kehlani as the 2025 Slope Day Headliner, Cornell University and President Michael Kotlikoff rescinded her invitation to perform,” the GoFundMe page states. “Today, we are raising these funds to create a grassroots, Community Slope Day for the students and Ithacans who felt represented by her presence.”
“All donations to this fund will go towards an alternative live performance and other logistical support,” the page continues. “Any unclaimed and unused funds will be donated to help the people of Palestine.”
Campus Reform reported about Cornell’s initial decision to hire Kehlani, who has repeatedly critiqued Israel. “No one should feel comfortable or safe until Zionism is extinguished,” she has stated.
The school’s initial reaction to the media coverage about Kehlani was that it did not know about her anti-Israel statements, and that it was “too late” to secure another performer.
“We found out about the social media of this performer roughly three weeks ago,” Cornell President Michael Kotlikoff said in response. “It’s too late to secure another performer that will be acceptable or appropriate for Slope Day.”
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More recently, on April 23, the school canceled Kehlani’s appearance, admitting that her hiring had “injected division and discord” into the event.
Earlier in April, the Trump administration suspended $1 billion in funding to Cornell University in the midst of ongoing investigations into anti-Semitism at the school.
The funding suspension came around one month after the Department of Education started an anti-Semitism probe into Cornell and other schools. At the time, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated that the department was “deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions.”
Campus Reform has contacted Cornell University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
