Latest news with #LonglivetheIntifada
New York Post
05-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Anti-Israel singer Kehlani's taxpayer-funded Central Park concert canceled after Adams ramps up pressure
The Big Apple has pulled the plug on the planned controversial Central Park concert featuring Jew-bashing performer Kehlani — after pressure from City Hall, The Post has learned. The City Park's Foundation, a taxpayer-funded organization, canceled the Summer Stage benefit concert, which was billed as 'PRIDE WITH KEHLANI,' after intense fallout from the announcement, sources said. The move comes just hours after the Adams administration sent a letter to the foundation, which was obtained by The Post, threatening to pull the licenses for all of the summer series' shows over the concert. 'Long live the Intifada' is widely criticized as implying violence toward the Jewish community. Kehiani/Youtube 'We write to advise you that we have security concerns about this event, given the controversy surrounding Kehlani's scheduled performance at Cornell University (causing University officials to cancel the appearance), the security precautions needed for an event like this in Central Park, and the security demands throughout the City for other Pride events during this same period of time,' First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro wrote in the May 5 letter. The foundation said in a statement, 'We strongly and emphatically believe in artistic expression of all kinds. 'However, the safety and security of our guests and artists is of the utmost importance and in light of these concerns, the concert has been cancelled.' Kehlani is known for her controversial music video that begins with 'Long live the Intifada,' which invokes violent acts on the Jewish community. City Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan) praised nixing the singer's event, saying, 'Cancelling this concert was 100 percent the correct course of action. The City Park's Foundation — a taxpayer-funded organization — invited Kehlani to perform at the city's Summer Stage series in June for a benefit concert. Central Park 'City parks should celebrate inclusivity and not seek to eradicate or denigrate any community with hate speech,' she said, adding, 'Taxpayer dollars should not be utilized to promote hate speech against any group.' Kehlani had another concert canceled at Cornell University for an end-of-year bash after pushback from the student body. The city and Park's Foundation have both said they played no role in picking the performer. The summer series is funded by public funds, and the foundation is used as a fundraising arm for the city's Parks Department.
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
NYC blasted for tapping anti-Israel performer Kehlani for taxpayer-funded Central Park Pride concert
New Yorkers are outraged that Central Park's iconic summer concert series is headlining an anti-Israel singer for a Pride event, just one week after Cornell University snubbed her from their end-of-year show. Singer Kehlani notoriously posted a music video last spring that begins with 'Long live the Intifada' — a phrase that is widely criticized as implying violence towards the jewish community. The City Park's Foundation — a taxpayer-funded organization — invited the controversial singer to perform at the city's Summer Stage series in June for a benefit concert advertised as 'PRIDE WITH KEHLANI.' Advertisement Kehlani's performance at Cornell was canceled after the singer 'Long live the Intifada.' Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP 'America's largest city has no business subsidizing or sanitizing antisemitism at taxpayer expense,' Democratic U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres of the South Bronx posted on X. 'Stop mainstreaming the extremes and inviting those who invite violence.' The announcement also immediately drew backlash from the Jewish community: Advertisement 'An individual who refers to Jews as the `f–king scum of the earth' and calls for their annihilation has no business performing in the heart of New York City, which happens to be home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. Period,' said Mark Treyger, CEO of Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. The parks department did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Post.
Hindustan Times
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Cornell University drops Kehlani from end-of-year concert after ‘grave concerns' from students. What to know
Cornell University has yanked entertainer Kehlani's upcoming campus performance after being blasted for inviting the anti-Israel musician. President Michael Kotlikoff said the Grammy Award-nominated R&B artist's invitation has been rescinded. She was set to perform next month at the university's Slope Day end-of-year celebration. The school's decision comes days after it defended its move to invite Kehlani to perform. 'Unfortunately, although it was not the intention, the selection of Kehlani as this year's headliner has injected division and discord into Slope Day,' Kotlikoff wrote in a letter to students and staff, according to the New York Post. '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,' he added. 'While any artist has the right in our country to express hateful views, Slope Day is about uniting our community, not dividing it.' Kotlikoff admitted that while he would possibly be criticised for backtracking, he thought it was 'the right thing to do' after talking to students privately. Kehlani is known for having bashed Jews in the past. She has a music video that begins with 'Long live the Intifada,' and has even shared a map online that eliminates the state of Israel. She has also refused to condemn the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel. Cornell students fumed after the university invited Kehlani to perform. 'Kehlani isn't just an artist with controversial views — she is someone who has publicly glorified violence against Jews and consistently promoted dangerous, antisemitic rhetoric that directly threatens our community,' Cornell student Amanda Silberstein, a 21-year-old junior and president of the Chabad Center at the school and vice president of the group Cornell for Israel, previously said. 'For a university that claims to value inclusion and the safety for all students, this decision is not just tone-deaf — it's profoundly alienating.' Members of the student group Cornellians for Israel even launched a petition and a GoFundMe drive threatening to boycott the event. With the anger building up, Kotlikoff initially told the Cornell Student Assembly that it was 'too late' to cancel Kehlani's May 7 performance. However, he eventually changed the decision. Cornell law professor William Jacobson, who founded the civil rights group 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. He added, '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.' Silberstein, who previously slammed the university's decision, said she was relieved now. '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.'
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cornell blasted for inviting ‘vile Jew-hater' Kehlani to perform on campus – as school defends move: ‘Profoundly alienating'
Cornell University has invited Jew-bashing entertainer Kehlani to perform on campus May 7 — defending the move as just giving its students what they want. Kehlani has a music video that starts with, 'Long live the Intifada' — an inflammatory phrase that critics say promotes violence against Israelis and Jews — shared a map online that eliminates the state of Israel and refused to condemn Hamas for the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre. The invite to the multi-Grammy Award-nominated R&B artist comes after the Trump administration froze $1 billion in federal funding to the upstate Ivy League school amid a civil-rights probe over whether it failed to prevent antisemitic discrimination and harassment on campus. 'Kehlani isn't just an artist with controversial views — she is someone who has publicly glorified violence against Jews and consistently promoted dangerous, antisemitic rhetoric that directly threatens our community,' said disgusted Cornell student Amanda Silberstein. 'For a university that claims to value inclusion and the safety for all students, this decision is not just tone-deaf — it's profoundly alienating,' said Silberstein, a 21-year-old junior who is president of the Chabad Center at the school and vice president of the group Cornell for Israel. 'By inviting someone with such a deeply troubling history of antisemitism to headline one of our most high-profile campus events, Cornell is sending a message that Jewish safety and wellbeing are negotiable,' she said. The watchdog group StopAntisemitism agreed that the invitation is beyond the pale and previously highlighted the performer's anti-Israel and antisemitic views in a July 12, 2024, post. Kehlani supports the terrorist regime Hamas 'under the guise of 'resistance,' ' the group said. It cited her 'Next 2 U' music video that admired the Palestinian terror group's violence against Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, opening her song with, 'Long live the Intifada' appearing across the screen and featuring dancers in keffiyehs waving Palestinian flags. The group noted Kehlani refused to condemn Hamas for the massacre of Israeli civilians that day. 'Instead, Kehlani directly called for the destruction of Israel and its people,' the group said. 'Kehlani doubles down on her support for the global call to murder Jews by sharing genocidal phrases such as 'long live the resistance' and 'from the river to the sea.' ' The singer also shared a map on Instagram that eliminates the state of Israel, and she touted several posts and uttered rants including, 'Zionists are all evil' and Zionists are the 'scum of the earth' and they should all 'go to hell.' 'It's f–k Israel, it's f–k Zionism, and it's also f–k a lot of y'all, too,' she said on X last year. StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez said, 'Now, Cornell is doubling down by featuring vile Jew-hater Kehlani as a headliner for their end-of-year celebration. 'Kehlani uses her platform of 20 million followers, more than the number of Jews on the planet, to incite hate against the world's only Jewish state. 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 said. 'Black students wouldn't be expected to welcome a KKK rock band on campus. Asian students weren't told, `Asian hate …Get over it.' So why are Jewish students treated as the exception?' Rez said Cornell and every other university enabling bigotry, harassment and violent extremism must be 'fully defunded,' investigated for foreign funding and have their endowments, real estate and income taxed. Cornell defended the invitation, saying Kehlani is performing at the request of a student-run group on 'Slope Day,' an end-of-year celebration for students. 'The headliner is selected by the student-run Slope Day Planning Board following a poll of students,' a Cornell rep said. 'Kehlani was chosen based on her popularity and the genre of her music. She recently performed at Northeastern University without political expression or incident. 'The personal views expressed by this artist are their own and do not represent the university. However, the artist must uphold Cornell's anti-discrimination policies, which includes prohibition of political expression as part of the concert. Failure to do so constitutes breach of contract and will result in loss of payment.' Kehlani's reps did not respond to a Post request for comment. Cornell has been roiled by numerous anti-Israel protests, 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.
