Katy Perry Shares How She’s ‘Proud’ of Herself After Public and Personal Challenges

“However, he does represent how many in the Jewish community feel when targeted with certain actions and words, and we believe it is important for our students to have an understanding of that,” the spokesperson wrote. Some Jewish and free speech groups have raised a litany of concerns about the materials, including that they are often one-sided, misleading, vague and sometimes historically inaccurate. At least 60 universities so far have been investigated by the US Department of Education for potential violations of Title VI, a law that prohibits schools from discrimination based on race, ethnicity and religion. Columbia University, City University of New York, Harvard University and Barnard University are among those implementing antisemitism trainings, which were generally developed after the Trump crackdown, and may aim to appease the Trump administration.

The ADL is referring to the highly charged debate over Israel’s mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank. The training material then offers the Israeli narrative around the demolitions, claiming they target “terrorists” and “deter others from terrorist action”. Other homes were demolished because they were “built without proper permits”, the ADL states. The ADL’s hypothetical scenario involving flyers critical of Israel’s demolition program encapsulates many other issues that those who reviewed the material or completed a training raised. However, Title VI doesn’t protect against criticism of countries, and a term like “anti-Israel situation” has no legal meaning, but critics say the intent is evident.

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Bez questioned why the university did not utilize Northwestern scholars on the region and its history, and instead hired an outside pro-Israel group to develop the training. The video states that Israel was founded in 1948 “on British land”, and refers to the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria”, the biblical name controversially used for the region by the Israeli government. The original Jewish homeland comprises parts of modern-day Egypt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, the video states. The Palestinian perspective on the demolitions is not found in the training material, and excluding their side story is a problem, those who reviewed the material said.

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The video is part of a wave of controversial antisemitism trainings being implemented by universities across the US starting this school year, in response to Trump administration threats to pull funding for institutions that, in its view, fail to adequately address campus antisemitism. The Northwestern training was produced by the Jewish United Federation (JUF) , a pro-Israel advocacy group, and it drew pushback from some students. Nearly two months after being spotted with former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the two are “still speaking and very interested in each other,” multiple sources told US Weekly. “We celebrate the wins and reflect on the losses. All of it is valuable,” Perry told her 202 million followers on Instagram.

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“If people start to see that their universities, their medical research and their neighbors’ immigration status and right to due process are being endangered because the Jewish community is pressuring for enforcement in ways that go way too far – that will generate actual antisemitism,” Ben-Ami added. The Guardian reviewed training materials developed by the JUF and the Anti-Defamation League, which both push pro-Israel agendas in the US, and found the overarching message is that criticism of Israel or Zionism is antisemitic. The materials advise students on how to respond to antisemitic or anti-Israel speech, and spread a pro-Israel message. That includes tips on effective online debating, media strategies and how to pressure administrators into cracking down on anti-Israel campus speech. The trainings’ opponents, many of them Jewish, say the material does little to protect Jews.

  • That includes tips on effective online debating, media strategies and how to pressure administrators into cracking down on anti-Israel campus speech.
  • Her album One of the Boys (2008), featuring the hit “Hot N Cold,” sold more than three million copies in the United States.
  • In an Instagram post shared on Monday, Sept. 22, Perry, 40, reflected on the anniversary of the release of her 2024 album 143.

Perry’s initial efforts at mainstream stardom were fruitless, with two separate record labels signing and subsequently dropping her before any material was released. In 2007, however, Capitol Records put out Perry’s EP Ur So Gay, which attracted modest attention for its cheerfully flippant title track. She made a greater splash several months later with the single “I Kissed a Girl,” an assertive ode to sexual curiosity backed by a hard-edged electro-pop beat. The song quickly stirred controversy, as some critics derided it for promoting same-sex relations and others charged that the racy scenario it depicted catered to male fantasies of female sexuality. Nevertheless, the combination of titillation and polished melodicism helped “I Kissed a Girl” become a number one hit in multiple countries, powering sales for her album One of the Boys (2008).

The criticism continued into her “Lifetimes” Tour, with some mocking her onstage dance moves. In April, she faced online backlash for taking part in the first all-female Blue Origin spaceflight just weeks before the tour began. Perry, 40, told fans that she usually avoids anniversary posts but felt compelled to recognize the impact of the past year. Katy Perry marked the first anniversary of her album 143 with a candid Instagram post about what she called a “rollercoaster” year.

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“Records are snapshots of an artist trying to tell their story of where they are now or have been, and hope someone will hear themselves in some of the messages,” the post continued. The antisemitism training video was shown as part of a new mandatory bias training called Building a Community of Respect and Breaking Down Bias. The antisemitism video is shown alongside a separate video made in partnership with The Inclusion Expert, a bias training company, on anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias, and a third video about campus protest. The Islamophobia training covers forms of bias and racism toward Arab, Muslim and Palestinian people.

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With its bouncy, sharp-tongued second single, “Hot N Cold,” also proving popular, the album—much of which Perry wrote herself—eventually registered sales of more than three million copies in the United States. At 16, Perry released a gospel album titled Katy Hudson (2001) under Red Hill Records, which was unsuccessful. She moved to Los Angeles at 17 to venture into secular music, and later adopted her stage name from her mother’s maiden name. Perry recorded an album while signed to Columbia Records, but was dropped before signing to Capitol Records. She rose to fame with One of the Boys (2008), a pop rock album containing her debut single “I Kissed a Girl” and follow-up single “Hot n Cold”, which reached number one and three on the U.S. Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality.

They accuse the Trump administration of wielding often false claims of antisemitism for two ends – to cut funding for universities as the president wages a culture war on higher education, and to help rightwing pro-Israel groups silence legitimate criticism of Israel. September will bring her to South America, where her arena dates in Buenos Aires are sold out and limited tickets remain for her stadium show in Chile. Katy will wrap up the 2025 tour in the UK and Europe, where popular demand led to multiple added shows in London, Paris, and new shows in Munich and Bologna. Bloom later told “Today” that the split was amicable and said, “We’re going to be great. Nothing but love.”

  • The ADL is referring to the highly charged debate over Israel’s mass expulsion of Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank.
  • Katy now has six singles and one album for a total of SEVEN Diamond-certified titles.
  • The video states that Israel was founded in 1948 “on British land”, and refers to the West Bank as “Judea and Samaria”, the biblical name controversially used for the region by the Israeli government.
  • Aside from music, Perry also experienced a breakup from longtime partner Orlando Bloom in June, though the couple still seems to be friendly as they coparent their daughter, Daisy Dove.
  • The antisemitism video is shown alongside a separate video made in partnership with The Inclusion Expert, a bias training company, on anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias, and a third video about campus protest.
  • Perry’s post included behind-the-scenes photos and videos of the making of the album and Perry rehearsing onstage for the Lifetimes Tour.

“No forcing, no controlling — just trusting the angels, the fans, and the music to guide me where I’m meant to go,” she wrote. The singer, 40, took to Instagram on Monday, September 22, to share several behind-the-scenes photos and videos, as well as a heartfelt letter to her fans. In an email, a Northwestern spokesperson said students “are not required to agree” with the antisemitism trainings and stressed that the speaker in the video said he did not speak for becoming an azure cloud engineer all Jewish people.

The tour is an encapsulation of Perry’s discography, including smash hits like “Firework,” “The One That Got Away” and “California Gurls.” “Whatever comes next, I’m letting it unfold naturally. No forcing, no controlling — just trusting the angels, the fans, and the music to guide me where I’m meant to go,” she wrote later in the post, seemingly alluding to a year of change in her personal life. Perry maintained her grip on the mainstream with her next release, Prism (2013), which produced, among other hits, the anthemic “Roar.” Her 2016 single “Rise” was featured in television coverage of that year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Perry’s fifth studio album, Witness (2017), more introspective than her earlier work, was less well received. Northwestern students pointed to a list of controversial statements and claims made throughout the antisemitism training video, called “Antisemitism Here/Now”.

It employs a controversial and legally dubious definition of antisemitism written by the International Holocaust Remembrance Association, that critics say equates criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Lumping together examples of legitimate criticism of Israel’s government and obvious antisemitic acts is designed to convince students and administrators that the actions are similarly problematic, critics say. It also appears to raise the specter of Title VI discrimination violations, said Veronica Salama, an attorney with the New York Civil Liberties Union.

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