Cornell University yanks anti-Israel performer Kehlani from end-of-year concert after wave of backlash

Cornell University on Wednesday canned Jew-bashing entertainer Kehlani’s upcoming campus performance after facing overwhelming backlash over the decision to host the anti-Israel musician.

President Michael Kotlikoff said he’d rescinded the Grammy Award-nominated R&B artist’s invitation to perform next month at the university’s “Slope Day” end-of-year celebration — just days after the school initially defended the move.

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“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 wrote in a letter to students and staff.

“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.”

“While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community, not dividing it,” he added.

Kotlikoff acknowledged he would likely face criticism for backtracking but said it was “the right thing to do” after speaking privately with students.

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It comes after the Ivy League’s prez had claimed that university brass and Slope Day organizers were initially unaware of Kehlani’s Jew-bashing rhetoric when they first began negotiating for her to perform – despite her views being widely publicized online.

The artist herself posted a music video last spring that starts with “Long live the Intifada” — an inflammatory phrase that critics say promotes violence against Israelis and Jews.

She also shared a map online that eliminates the state of Israel and refused to condemn Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks.

Meanwhile, the watchdog group StopAntisemitism had exposed Kehlani’s anti-Israel and antisemitic views as early as last summer.

Members of the student group Cornellians for Israel quickly launched a petition and GoFundMe drive threatening to boycott the event if the school didn’t replace the controversial performer.

The group vowed to also get their own entertainer and stage a unifying counter-concert on the Ithaca campus.

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When the mounting outrage first kicked off, Kotlikoff had initially told the Cornell Student Assembly that it was “too late” to dump the singer-songwriter ahead of the May 7 event.

In the wake of his sudden U-turn, StopAntisemitism hailed the decision to rescind the invite to the “vile anti-Semite.”

“As antisemitism metastasizes across college campuses, it is imperative that administrators at every level rigorously vet every speaker and performer invited to their institutions,” StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez said.

“The fiasco surrounding Kehlani’s performance at Cornell is a direct result of this failure — and one that could have been entirely avoided with proper oversight and accountability.”

“The singer promoted intifada and openly called for the elimination of Israel and the Jewish people,” the group said in an X post. “No other group would tolerate such threats – Jewish students deserve the same protection.”

Cornell law professor William Jacobson, who is the founder of 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.

“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.”

And Amanda Silberstein, a 21-year-old junior who is president of Cornell’s Chabad Center, said she was relieved.

“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.”