Mamdani's New York: The puppet theater that turned into an antisemitic hate show
A Jewish mother living in Brooklyn took her 4-year-old son to a puppet show she thought would be family-friendly – and was horrified when it turned into an attack on Israel. The show, called "The Circus of the Cardboard Pizza Puppets," was presented as part of the International Puppet Festival in New York. According to the mother, after only 15 minutes, it shifted from humor dealing with symbols and daily life in New York to political positions against the Jewish state. "The things against Israel came out of nowhere," the mother told the New York Post.
A Jewish mother living in Brooklyn took her 4-year-old son to a puppet show she thought would be family-friendly – and was horrified when it turned into an attack on Israel. The show, called "The Circus of the Cardboard Pizza Puppets," was presented as part of the International Puppet Festival in New York. According to the mother, after only 15 minutes, it shifted from humor dealing with symbols and daily life in New York to political positions against the Jewish state. "The things against Israel came out of nowhere," the mother told the New York Post.
The show, which according to the mother was held in front of an audience of about 200 people and lasted about an hour, included a segment where eight actors dramatized a flotilla, which received enthusiastic boos against Israel from the audience. At another stage, remarks were made about American taxpayer money being transferred to Israel.
"What is the connection between propaganda against Israel and a show that is entirely about New York? Is hatred of Israel an integral part of the city's brand?" wondered the mother, who defined herself as a "proud Zionist."
She further added that her 4-year-old son "did not stop asking what was happening when he saw that I was shocked." According to her, her heart "beat strongly" while she watched many people in the audience who seemed to agree with the "series of accusations" leveled against Israel. "I felt like I was surrounded by ideological enemies. This specific group held very antisemitic views. It felt like a mob – the hair on the back of my neck was just standing up," she described.
According to her, the show moved from those familiar symbols of New York to "accusations that Israel is bombing hospitals." She also noted that because she knew that if she spoke out against Hamas, the audience would turn against her, she chose to remain silent. "My generation is now experiencing a new version of antisemitism here in New York, exactly the same one my family fled from in the Soviet Union," she said.
Behind the show is the Boxcutter Collective, a theater collective from Brooklyn. The members of the troupe met during their work with the Bread & Puppet Theater, a veteran political puppet theater from Vermont. The collective describes itself as a group that creates shows with a 'political, anti-capitalist, environmental, and social emphasis.' In November 2023, about a month after the October 7 massacre, the troupe performed in "Gaza Monologues," in response to the "terrible war taking place in Gaza."
Manuel Moran, founder and producer of the International Puppet Festival, told the Jerusalem News Syndicate that it is possible that the festival organizers were not aware in advance of the content that the troupe added to the show. The festival itself received partial sponsorship from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts – which is under the patronage of Council Member Zohran Mamdani.
