NYC-funded puppet show sparks controversy with anti-Israel content
A family-friendly puppet performance in Lower Manhattan turned political, featuring anti-Israel remarks that shocked a mother and her child.
During an August 13 performance of The Cardboard Pizza Puppet Circus in a Lower Manhattan courtyard, a mother took her four-year-old son expecting a lighthearted show about New York icons. After about fifteen minutes, the production introduced a flotilla skit and commentary that accused Israel of bombing hospitals and criticized American financial support for the nation. The crowd of roughly two hundred reacted with jeers, and the mother, a Soviet-born resident of Windsor Terrace, said she felt surrounded by people holding antisemitic views.
The Boxcutter Collective, the troupe behind the show, has a history of pro-Palestinian work, including a November 2023 Gaza Monologues performance. Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, denounced the use of public funds for a program that made Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe. Festival organizers and the funding agencies have not responded to inquiries.
Why it matters
Public money funded a cultural event that introduced polarizing political content, raising concerns about artistic freedom and community safety.
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