By: Jared Evan

Cornell University, once a bastion of academic prestige, is now shaping up to be a national case study in how elite institutions are enabling — and even promoting — virulent antisemitism under the guise of student expression and diversity.

In a pair of bombshell reports from the New York Post, the Ivy League school stands accused not just of tolerating Jew-hatred — but actively facilitating it. From inviting openly antisemitic performers to hosting students who make violent threats against Jews, Cornell appears determined to burn through what remains of its moral credibility.

Let’s start with Kehlani, the Grammy-nominated R&B singer slated to perform at Cornell’s Slope Day celebration on May 7. The university is defending the invitation as student-driven, but make no mistake: this is not just about music. Kehlani has repeatedly used her massive platform — 20 million followers strong — to glorify violence against Jews and the Jewish state.

Her “Next 2 U” music video opens with the chilling phrase “Long live the Intifada” splashed across the screen, while dancers in keffiyehs wave Palestinian flags. The slogan is widely understood as a call for violent uprising against Israel and Jews worldwide. She’s also shared a map erasing the state of Israel, called Zionists “scum of the earth,” and told them to “go to hell.” On social media, she doubled down: “It’s f–k Israel, it’s f–k Zionism, and it’s also f–k a lot of y’all, too.”

As The Post reported, student leaders like Amanda Silberstein, president of the campus Chabad Center, say the message from Cornell is clear: Jewish students don’t matter. “This decision is not just tone-deaf — it’s profoundly alienating,” she said. “Jewish safety and wellbeing are negotiable.”

If Kehlani’s upcoming performance weren’t bad enough, it comes on the heels of a far darker scandal: the prosecution of Cornell student Patrick Dai, who posted graphic threats to murder Jews on the university website. As The Post reported, Dai wrote, “Jewish people need to be killed,” “watch out pig Jews. Jihad is coming,” and threatened to “shoot up” a kosher dining hall.

Dai, an engineering student, was sentenced in August 2024 to 21 months in federal prison. His defense team floated excuses ranging from autism to a misguided attempt to draw attention to antisemitism, but federal prosecutors weren’t buying it. “The defendant terrorized a campus community for days and horrified the nation at a very volatile time,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office declared.

These are not isolated incidents. Cornell has been plagued by an epidemic of anti-Israel protests, Jewish students have been harassed, and professors have even called Hamas’ October 7 massacre of Israelis “exhilarating.” As The Post reported, the Trump administration froze $1 billion in federal funds to Cornell and opened a civil rights investigation over the university’s failure to protect Jewish students.

Yet instead of course-correcting, Cornell is doubling down.

“Now, Cornell is doubling down by featuring vile Jew-hater Kehlani as a headliner,” said Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism. “She openly calls for intifada, the violent targeting of Jews, and the eradication of Zionists — code for over 95% of the global Jewish population.”

Rez nailed the hypocrisy: “Black students wouldn’t be expected to welcome a KKK rock band on campus. Asian students aren’t told, ‘Asian hate? Get over it.’ So why are Jewish students treated as the exception?”

Cornell’s administration, in predictable bureaucratic fashion, hides behind student polls and hollow policies.