Cornell University gets an F in research.
School president Michael Kotlikoff claimed the upstate Ivy League school wasn’t aware of Jew-bashing musician Kehlani’s anti-Israel stance — despite the information being available with a simple online search.
Kotlikoff told the Cornell Student Assembly it was now “too late” to dump the singer-songwriter and switch to another performer for Slope Day, the university’s end-of-year celebration to be held on May 7.
“We found out about the social media of this performer roughly three weeks ago,” Kotlikoff said, according to the The Cornell Daily Sun.
“It’s too late to secure another performer that will be acceptable or appropriate for Slope Day,” he told students.
Kotlikoff claimed that university brass and organizers were unaware of Kehlani’s political views when beginning negotiations for her to perform last October.
But even basic research would have turned up her views on social media supporting violence against Israel, outraged students and faculty said Monday.
In a sign of mounting backlash, members of the student group Cornellians for Israel have launched a petition and GoFundMe drive demanding that the school replace Kehlani with another performer — or they will boycott the event and select their own entertainer to headline a unifying counter-concert on the Ithaca campus.
The furor comes after President Trump’s administration froze $1 billion in federal funding to the elite school amid a civil-rights probe over whether it failed to prevent antisemitic discrimination and harassment on campus.
“It’s honestly laughable that they claim they were unaware of her glorification of violence, endorsement of an intifada, or demonization of Jews,” said Amanda Silberstein, a 21-year-old junior who is president of the school’s Chabad Center and vice president of Cornellians for Israel.
“It doesn’t take a private investigator to uncover that—just a quick look at her social media.”
As the Post reported Sunday, the watchdog group StopAntisemitism exposed Kehlani anti-Israel and antisemitic views in a July 12, 2024 post.
A single google search with the words “Kehlani” and “Israel” provides scores of Instagram hits about her hostility toward the Jewish state.
The multi-Grammy Award-nominated R&B 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, massacre.
“What’s most frustrating is the hypocrisy at play. If she had a track record of attacking any other marginalized group, there’s no doubt Cornell would have moved quickly to find a replacement,” Silberstein pointed out.
“But when it comes to antisemitism, the bar is somehow lower. All we’re asking for is to be afforded the same level of care and protection as every other student on this campus.”
Silberstein said Slope Day is a festival that is supposed to unite the student body.
“Instead,” she said, “this decision has fractured it — leaving many Jewish students like myself feeling abandoned by the very school that claims to prioritize inclusion and safety for all.”
If Cornell doesn’t cancel Kehlani’s performance, Silberstein said the pro-Israel group will find a “non-political, unifying” voice to be featured at a counter-event somewhere on campus.
Faculty members were also disgusted by the divisive controversy.
“Selection of a performer who openly supports an Intifada and war against Israel reflects a toxic campus culture that the administration has ignored,” said Cornell law professor William Jacobson, founder of the civil rights group EqualProtect.org.
StopAntisemitism, a Jewish advocacy group, urged Cornell brass to do the right thing by not promoting or condoning a hate-mongering entertainer.
“President Kotlikoff’s excuse that it’s `too late to cancel’ is a cowardly abdication of leadership. There is never a deadline on doing what is right,” said StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez.
“If the performer held views targeting any other minority group, the university would act swiftly. Jewish students deserve the same protection and respect.”
Kolitkoff said the administration inserted a clause in Kehlani’s contract prohibiting her from discussing her her political views during the performance.
He also said Kehlani didn’t voice her opinions during performances on her recent “Crash World Tour,” which included a finale at Northeastern University.
“That was a sold-out concert that had no political events,” Kotlikoff said, according to the Cornell Sun. “And by all accounts, a very successful performance.”
Cornell has been roiled by numerous anti-Israel protests over the past year and Jewish students’ lives have been threatened.
Student Patrick Da pleaded guilty last year to threatening to kill Jews in posts on the university’s website.