SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Multiple San Diego Jewish organizations and Synagogues have withdrawn from San Diego Pride, citing Pride's decision to keep Kehlani as a headlining performer.
In a press release from the Jewish Federation of San Diego and The Finest Community Coalition said the following:
Following San Diego Pride’s decision to keep Kehlani as a headliner despite her promotion of violent antisemitic rhetoric, all participating Jewish organizations and synagogues — many who’ve marched, volunteered or supported Pride for years — have withdrawn from the 2025 event, leaving no organized Jewish presence at this year’s festival. The festival’s volunteer medical director and assistant medical director, both Jewish, have also stepped down from their roles at Pride due to safety concerns.
“My role at Pride has always been to ensure the health and safety of everyone attending, but as a Jewish San Diegan, I can no longer ignore the very real risks that come with normalizing hate speech like the kind Kehlani has promoted,” said Dr. Anger, who has volunteered as a medical director for the festival for the last two years.
“It’s heartbreaking to step away from an event I’ve supported for years, but when the Jewish community’s safety is treated as negotiable, we’re left with no choice. Pride should be a place of healing and inclusion — not one that turns its back on a community in pain.”
Kehlani has been vocal about support for Palestinians and Gaza during the nearly two-year-long bombing campaign and invasion of that strip of land by Israel following terrorist attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
Kehlani, who uses they/them pronouns, has voiced disapproval about other artists who have not spoken out about Gaza, and in 2023 signed an open letter calling for a ceasefire and an end to the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. Kehlani continued to show support via social media for the Palestinian people in 2024 by calling for fellow musicians to support the plight of Gazans.
The backlash began in earnest this year, when Cornell University's annual Slope Day was canceled in April by university president Michael Kotlikoff over Kehlani's support for Palestine. He said the singer had "espoused antisemitic, anti-Israel sentiments in performances, videos and on social media."
Kehlani fired back. "I am not antisemitic, nor anti-Jew. I am anti- genocide, I am anti the actions of the Israeli government, I am anti an extermination of an entire people, I am anti the bombing of innocent children, men, women -- that's what I'm anti," Kehlani wrote on Instagram.
Kehlani's comments have reflected such, attacking what an United Nations Special Committee and Amnesty International have also described as the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, more than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 125,000 wounded in Israel's campaign as of June 5, but the exact number could be different, as casualties are difficult to count during armed conflict. A total of 1,195 people were killed on Oct. 7, 736 of them Israeli civilians. More than 250 people were taken hostage.
The decision comes after The Finest Community Coalition released a statement last month signed by nearly three dozen Jewish organizations, urging San Diego Pride to reconsider giving Kehlani a platform.
The following organizations will not be participating in San Diego's 2025 Pride Festival, according to the release:
- Jewish Federation of San Diego
- Anti-Defamation League of San Diego
- Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center (JCC)
- Temple Emanu-El of San Diego
- Congregation Beth Israel
- Congregation Dor Hadash
- Tifereth Israel Synagogue
- Temple Adat Shalom
"As a queer, a Jew, a Zionist and as someone who is horrified at the suffering in Gaza, I will not be participating in Pride this year — and neither should any organization that claims to be inclusive and strives to be a safe place for all,” said Laura Stratton, a member of Temple Emanu-El of San Diego and the LGBTQ+ community who has been attending and volunteering for Pride in San Diego as well as in other cities for more than 35 years.
They said the appeal has thus far gone unanswered, and as a result, there will be no organized Jewish presence at San Diego Pride this year.
In a statement to ABC 10News, San Diego Pride said, "We respect our local Jewish community’s decision not to participate in San Diego Pride’s programming this year. Each member of our community must make their own decision about attending this year’s events, but we hope everyone will come out as a sign of solidarity for our queer community.
San Diego Pride does not endorse or adopt the political positions of any individual performer. Rather, we honor the value of artistic integrity, the importance of free expression, and the role that artists play in shaping culture, challenging systems, and amplifying voices while respecting each other’s differences.”
The Grammy-nominated Oakland R&B star was set to headline a new San Francisco Pride festival called SoSF at the end of June, but announced they would no longer be performing at the festival, Thursday.
San Diego Pride Festival is scheduled for July 19-20 in Balboa Park. Kehlani is scheduled to headline Saturday's performance. Kim Petras will headline Sunday.
The San Diego Pride performance is still listed on Kehlani's tour website.
