(TJV NEWS) Cornell University has finally caved to public outrage and reversed its decision to feature Kehlani—a performer described by many as an unrepentant antisemitic provocateur—as the headliner for its annual Slope Day concert.

But the reversal only came after the school fully endorsed her, despite a mountain of disturbing evidence pointing to her hatred toward Israel and the Jewish people. As Breitbart News reported, Kehlani has gone as far as beginning one of her music videos with the incendiary phrase “Long live the Intifada”—a slogan celebrating violent uprisings that targeted innocent Israeli civilians. She has also repeatedly shared content erasing the state of Israel from existence, replacing it with a single Palestinian entity. And yet, Cornell thought this was acceptable.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kehlani (@kehlani)

The university’s original defense was as pathetic as it was telling: Kehlani was simply the most popular choice on a student poll, and had recently performed at Northeastern University “without incident.” As if popularity and prior silence could erase years of glorifying violence and posting maps that deny Israel’s right to exist. For an Ivy League institution, Cornell showed shocking intellectual cowardice—and moral blindness—by treating this decision as anything other than an endorsement of hate. It wasn’t until days of furious backlash, led in part by Jewish students and alumni, that President Michael Kotlikoff finally admitted the truth: the decision had “injected division and discord” and caused many in the community to feel “angry, hurt, and confused.”

But the damage was done. Cornell didn’t just make a mistake—it revealed a troubling willingness to appease political radicalism, even when it endangers Jewish students and endorses antisemitism under the guise of “free expression.” As Amanda Silberstein, president of Cornell’s Chabad Center, rightly put it, this wasn’t just a tone-deaf decision—it was a betrayal. “By inviting someone with such a deeply troubling history of antisemitism to headline one of our most high-profile campus events,” she said, “Cornell is sending a message that Jewish safety and wellbeing are negotiable.” Reversing the invitation doesn’t absolve the university—it only exposes how far it was willing to go before public pressure forced its hand.