Cornell University has yanked entertainer Kehlani’s upcoming campus performance after being blasted for inviting the anti-Israel musician. President Michael Kotlikoff said the Grammy Award-nominated R&B artist’s invitation has been rescinded. She was set to perform next month at the university’s Slope Day end-of-year celebration. The school’s decision comes days after it defended its move to invite Kehlani to perform.
“Unfortunately, although it was not the intention, the selection of Kehlani as this year’s headliner has injected division and discord into Slope Day,” Kotlikoff wrote in a letter to students and staff, 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 added. “While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community, not dividing it.”
Kotlikoff admitted that while he would possibly be criticised for backtracking, he thought it was “the right thing to do” after talking to students privately.
When Cornell University faced backlash
Kehlani is known for having bashed Jews in the past. She has a music video that begins with “Long live the Intifada,” and has even shared a map online that eliminates the state of Israel. She has also refused to condemn the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
Cornell students fumed after the university invited Kehlani to perform. “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, a 21-year-old junior and president of the Chabad Center at the school and vice president of the group Cornell for Israel, previously said. “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.”
Members of the student group Cornellians for Israel even launched a petition and a GoFundMe drive threatening to boycott the event. With the anger building up, Kotlikoff initially told the Cornell Student Assembly that it was “too late” to cancel Kehlani’s May 7 performance. However, he eventually changed the decision.
Cornell law professor William Jacobson, who founded the civil rights group EqualProtect.org, said the school was “put in an impossible position by anti-Israel activists who seek to hijack every public event.” “My preference is to answer toxic speech with more speech, not cancellation, but in this circumstance where the performer was at odds with the entire purpose of the event and never should have been selected, I’m not sure the school had much choice,” he said.
He added, “If anti-Israel activists want Kehlani to perform, they should do it on their own dime and at their own anti-Israel event, of which there are many.”
Silberstein, who previously slammed the university’s decision, said she was relieved now. “Slope Day should be a celebration that brings our campus together — not an event that isolates or alienates students,” she said. “I hope Cornell will take this opportunity to invite an artist who uplifts and unites, not one consumed by vitriol.”
