Cornell books anti-Israel Kehlani, plays dumb, then shrugs it off

Cornell University President Michael Kotlikoff told the school’s Student Assembly this week that administrators were unaware of singer Kehlani’s anti-Israel statements when booking her to headline the school’s upcoming Slope Day event - despite the fact that the information is readily accessible with a basic online search.

Kotlikoff admitted that the university discovered Kehlani’s social media posts about three weeks ago, but said it was “too late” to replace her on the lineup for the May 7 end-of-year celebration.

“It’s too late to secure another performer that will be acceptable or appropriate for Slope Day,” he said, according to The Cornell Daily Sun. He claimed that neither school officials nor event organizers knew of her political views when negotiations began last October.

But many students aren’t buying it. Outraged members of Cornellians for Israel say the university’s claims of ignorance are implausible, arguing that even a casual glance at Kehlani’s online presence reveals her history of inflammatory posts - including statements glorifying violence, promoting an intifada, and vilifying Israel and its supporters.

“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 junior who serves as president of Cornell’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.”

In response to the growing backlash, Cornellians for Israel launched a petition and a GoFundMe campaign demanding Kehlani’s removal. If the university doesn’t reverse course, the group plans to boycott Slope Day entirely and hold an alternative concert with a more unifying performer.

The controversy comes as the university is already under federal scrutiny: the U.S. Department of Education, under a Trump-era civil rights order, froze $1 billion in federal funding to Cornell pending an investigation into whether the school failed to address antisemitic discrimination on campus.