Vol. 98, Issue 9
Feb. 4, 2026 - Feb. 17, 2026
Thriving Verbal altercation involving student influencer is under investigation amid campus outrage Jewish life does
Keira Faddis // Contributed Photo Kaylee Mahony, a sophomore influencer known as @Kayshmoneyy on TikTok, engages in a verbal exchange with members of Students Supporting Israel during the Spring Involvement Fair on Tuesday, Jan. 27. sion. However, we understand lines can be crossed,” the University said in a statement to The Hurricane. “As such, the University has proactive policies in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all students.” Freshman Ella Leon, a student tabling for SSI when the altercation occurred, said that Mahony initially approached the table, walked away briefly, then turned back and shouted, “Free Palestine.” As the altercation continued, a member of the Committee on Student Organizations approached the table to de-escalate the situation. However, instead of complying, Leon claims that Mahony turned to [the COSO member] and said, “This is typical Jewish behavior. This is how Jews always act.” Leon explained that SSI welcomes any kind of political dialogue, but that Mahony’s comments were not political and instead focused on Judaism as a whole. “Nothing that was said, besides maybe two sentences at the beginning of the conversation, had to do with the flag on our table, with anti-Zionism, nothing of that nature. This was, literally, purely to talk about Judaism and
for her to kind of like dehumanize it,” Leon said. “I’ve experienced many, many different forms of antisemitism. Never in my life have I experienced something that was so prolonged, aggressive and completely detached from the reason that [SSI was] there.” Other students in the area felt similarly. Alta Gniwisch, a Chabad intern who does not attend UM, was sitting at a nearby table and started to record when Mahony began to raise her voice. She said that Mahony’s comments were “outwardly hateful and rude.” Gniwisch also explained that many of Mahony’s comments about the Talmud and Judaic culture were untrue. “The Talmud is known to be a book that you can’t take at face value,” she said. “You have to interpret it in a very different way because obviously it was written many many many years ago when circumstances were so different.” According to Bible Odyssey, the Talmud is a collection of oral teachings and debates created by rabbinic scholars in 70 CE. It addresses nearly every aspect of Jewish life 1,500 years ago, interpreting biblical texts and traditions within their historical context. “Only if you are open to studying
Cam Ward, Carson Beck and now Darian Mensah. Despite the pressure and heartbreak of competing for a national title, the Hurricanes have once again plucked their quarterback from the bunch, hoping to continue the success of the portal quarterback trend. Mensah, a Duke transfer, announced his commitment on Jan. 27, after entering the portal earlier on Jan. 16 — the last day to enter the portal for teams other than Miami or Indiana. The Canes originally looked towards portal prospects such as Brendan Sorsby, Sam Leavitt and Ty Simpson, but the trio signed with Texas Tech, LSU and declared for the draft, respectively. Miami was left in a dire situation for its 2026 quarterback, prompting a search outside of the box — a quarterback not yet in the portal. It looked bleak for the orange and green, but just like the last two years, an unexpected superstar came calling at the final hour. This time, it was Mensah. A rising redshirt junior from San Luis Obispo,Calif., Courtesy of Amy Zhang Mensah originally New ’Canes transfer QB Darian Mensah played at Tulane celebrates after a play.
before transferring to Duke ahead of the 2025 season. Mensah lit up the statsheet for the Blue Devils, racking up 3,973 passing yards as he threw for 34 touchdowns on the year, good for second in the FBS for both stats. He led Duke to its first ACC title in nearly 40 years and was named ACC Championship game MVP for his efforts to accompany his multiple All-ACC honors under former Miami head coach Manny Diaz. Notable performances include his 361-yard, four-touchdown game against Clemson in a 46-45 shootout, as well as his 327-yard, four-touchdown performance in the Sun Bowl against Arizona State. It was reported before the Sun Bowl that Mensah would be staying with Duke, finishing a multi-year contract worth around $4 million annually. So when the California-native entered the transfer portal at the final hour on Jan.16, it sent Duke scrambling for legal avenues to prevent the move. Duke was granted a temporary restraining order following Mensah’s entrance into the transfer portal in order to prevent him from enrolling at another university. “Mr. Mensah has an existing contract with Duke which the university intends to honor, we expect he will do the same,” Duke’s athletics department said in a statement. H o w e v e r, Mensah’s representatives and Duke were
By Katie Karlson and Mel Tenkoff
The University of Miami is investigating a verbal altercation between sophomore influencer Kaylee Mahony and members of the Students Supporting Israel club at the Spring 2026 Involvement Fair on Tuesday, Jan. 27. In video footage of the exchange, which circulated widely on social media following the fair, Mahony can be heard saying, “Christianity, which says love everyone, meanwhile your Bible says eating with someone who is a non-Jew is like eating with an animal. That’s what the Talmud says.” Mahony is then seen turning toward passing students and saying, “That’s what these people follow.” Later in the video, Mahony can be heard raising her voice at one of the SSI members, saying “Because you’re disgusting. It’s disgusting.” The University of Miami confirmed that it is aware of the incident and is investigating it thoroughly. “We strongly support our student’s rights to freedom of expres-
it in the proper way then you could understand it properly, but if you’re looking at it at face value then there are a lot of things that may seem confusing,” Gniwisch said. Ariela Jaimovich, a sophomore who witnessed the altercation, described Mahony’s comments as a “blatant display of antisemitism.” “I’ve seen Israel controversy on campus in the past, but this case was just pure antisemitism and hatred,” she said. “Hopefully, the school can take action to prevent this from happening again in the future.” Mahony was terminated from her role as the head of public relations for the UM College Republicans after this altercation. Mahony’s Linkedin also lists that she serves as the Social Media Chair for Turning Point Miami, a branch of Charlie Kirk’s nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative politics. However, according to a post on Jan. 29 by @StopAntisemites’s X account, Mahony is “no longer affiliated” with the organization. She had more than 125K followers on TikTok, posting videos that often took anti-Israel, anti-immigration and anti-Democrat stances. Her account was banned in the days following the altercation and shows as “no longer available.” It is unclear if UM was aware of Mahony’s social media presence before this incident. The University did not answer The Hurricane’s multiple inquiries regarding social media screening during the admissions process. A senior student in Hillel who wishes to remain anonymous expressed confusion that UM had not noticed Mahony’s social media presence sooner. “It has been really disappointing to see one of my peers so openly antisemitic, including her TikTok bio saying she’s a ‘proud goy,’ which has been used as a derogatory term for non-Jews,” the student said. “I’m not sure how the school hasn’t noticed this sooner.” Despite the altercation, Leon said she still feels safe as a Jewish person on UM’s campus. “The reason I chose this University was because, as a Jewish student in times where antisemitism is rising very very high, I never found a place that I felt more safe than this school,” Leon said. The school just does such a great job at creating an environment where people really feel included.” Kayla Singer contributed to the reporting of this article.
not cancel hate
Courtesy of Gianni Echeverria SSI organization memebers table in UC Breezeway on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026.
By Jewish student who wishes to remain anonymous Contributing Writer I was not at the Students Supporting Israel table when the altercation began. I arrived later, shortly after the details of the incident had started circulating. At first, I did not believe it was as disturbing as people had said. Then I read the article. I watched the video. I spoke with students who were there. I realized my initial disbelief came from assuming there had to be more context, or something missing. There wasn’t. What unfolded was clear, unabashed antisemitism. At the University of Miami, Jewish life is visible and integrated into campus culture. Student organizations table openly, people walk around with Stars of Davids, chai necklaces, IDF hoodies. UM is proof that a strong Jewish community can exist comfortably inside a diverse university in a major city. That is why the altercation on Tuesday, Jan. 27, was so jarring. A student approached the peaceful table and began shouting accusations and heated questions. Kaylee Mahony, a sophomore influencer with more than 125,000 TikTok followers, verbally confronted members of Students Supporting Israel during the Spring Involvement Fair. Mahony referred to Jews as disgusting. She also invoked distorted claims about the Talmud, calling it disgusting and alleging that it teaches Jews to view non-Jews as inferior. Read the full article online at themiamihurricane.com
Duke QB Darian Mensah commits to Miami By Sebastian Font Co-Sports editor
INDEX:
NEWS | PAGE 2
OPINION | PAGE 4
A&E | PAGE 5
able to reach a settlement regarding his transfer, avoiding court and allowing Mensah to commit and enroll at Miami on Jan. 27.
“I want to make the NFL, I want to be a first-round draft pick. All signs point towards Miami.” Darian Mensah UM Transfer QB
Combining his stint at Tulane in 2024, Mensah has thrown for 6,696 yards at a 56 touchdown to 12 interception ratio — not to mention a completion percentage over 65 percent in both his seasons as a starter. Like his predecessors Ward and Beck, Mensah has true draftable talent but still has room to develSPORTS | PAGE 6
op. So, when he entered the portal on Jan. 16, Miami became a no-brainer move. The Canes have a proven record of sending quarterback’s draft stock skyrocketing with an additional year to polish things up at the collegiate level. The Hurricanes have everything a quarterback could dream of: an elite offensive line, impressive offensive weapons, a sizable NIL package and a proven track record of transforming transfer quarterbacks to the superstar level. “I want to make the NFL, I want to be a first-round draft pick,” Mensah said. “All signs point towards Miami.” While the ’Canes have everything for Mensah, what does he bring to Miami? A 6-foot-3, 208-pound signal-caller, Mensah already has two years of college experience under his belt and flourishes in the intermediate game — able to make pre-snap reads and exploit coverages consistently. Mensah also has the arm to make all the throws across the field, expanding the playbook downfield and utilizing his receivers talent to the full extent. He might not be a true “dual-threat” quarterback, but he can certainly use his legs to escape pressure and scramble when needed. Mensah is an uber-talented quarterback who fits Miami’s scheme perfectly with both the quick game and even trick plays at times. Be ready for the Hurricane offense to reach a whole new level with Mensah in the mix. V’S TAKE | PAGE 7