ACT NOW! Antisemitic ‘Family-friendly’ Show in New York City Must Be Canceled!

Time is running out. Demand that the September 5 performance be called off!

Imagine taking a small child to a family-friendly show and being bombarded by hate.

The Cardboard Pizza Puppet Circus, created and performed by the Boxcutter Collective puppet troupe, was billed as a “family show” suitable for ages 4 and up.

The show, part of the fourth International Puppet Fringe Festival, a multi-day celebration of New York City Aug. 12-16 on the city’s Lower East Side, was sponsored in part by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts.

According to the show’s description, it featured “dancing skyscrapers, giant rats, fossil-fuel-fighting flowers, a live brass band, and Lady Liberty herself.”

But about 15 minutes into the show, it reportedly turned into an anti-Israel hate fest.

“The anti-Israel stuff came out of nowhere,” a self-described “proud Zionist” woman who took her 4-year-old child to the show told the New York Post.

“It went from pizza rat and parallel parking to accusations of Israel bombing hospitals,” she said.

The show, attended by approximately 200 people, included a scene in which eight performers reenacted a flotilla, prompting enthusiastic boos against Israel from members of the audience, she told the Post. Another segment addressed U.S. taxpayer money going to Israel.

“What does anti-Israel propaganda have to do with a show that is entirely about New York?” she asked. “Is hatred of Israel an integral part of the city’s brand?”

The mother said her “heart was racing” as many in the crowd appeared to agree with “the litany of accusations” against Israel.

“(I was) feeling like I was surrounded by my ideological enemies,” she said.

“My generation is now experiencing a new version of antisemitism here in New York, exactly what my family fled from in the Soviet Union,” she said, adding that she was too afraid to voice her objection during the show, considering the anti-Israel animosity as well as having her child with her.

“A mom took her four-year-old to a publicly funded, family-friendly puppet festival in NYC. Instead, the performance reportedly veered into highly critical and offensive messaging about Israel, the world’s only Jewish state,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement.

“This is an inappropriate use of public resources,” he added. “Publicly funded cultural programming should never contribute to an environment in which Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe.”

Diya Vij, the commissioner for NYC’s Department of Cultural Affairs, was appointed to the position by Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Vij has collaborated with outspoken anti-Zionist artist Morgan Bassichis and published a poem in 2016 describing the desire for a president who will end the U.S.-Israel relationship.

The next performance of The Cardboard Pizza Puppet Circus by the Boxcutter Collective is scheduled for September 5, 2026, at Governors Island (DuYe Moves at Colonels Row) in New York City. This must be stopped!

Jewish children – as well as adults – should be able to enjoy a truly family-friendly show rather than being exposed to hate and antisemitism.

Please demand that the show be canceled! This matter is urgent – we have only a few days left!

Write to: Karen Welch, deputy director of programs, New York State Council on the Arts, at Karen.Welch@arts.ny.gov

You can write to more council staff members by visiting https://arts.ny.gov/contact

To contact Gov. Hochul, go to https://fightantisemitism.live/nygov-contact

Suggested text:

Dear…,

“The Cardboard Pizza Puppet Circus,” advertised as a “family-friendly” show celebrating New York City, was in fact an Israel-bashing event that shocked Jewish parents and children.

Part of the fourth International Puppet Fringe Festival, it was created and performed by the Boxcutter Collective puppet troupe, which describes its work as having a political, anti-capitalist, environmental and social focus.

As reported in the New York Post, a mother took her 4-year-old child to the show, and she was left feeling shocked and afraid. The child could not understand what was happening.

About 15 minutes into the show, “it went from pizza rat and parallel parking to accusations of Israel bombing hospitals,” she said.

“It felt like a mob. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up,” she said.

“This is an inappropriate use of public resources,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. “Publicly funded cultural programming should never contribute to an environment in which Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe.”

Indeed, Jewish families have the same right to enjoy cultural outings as do others, especially in New York City, a major global center for theater and the arts.

As concerning as the deluge of anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda is today, there must be a red line drawn when it comes to entertainment for children.

No parent or child deserves to experience hatred and fear when attending what is billed as a family-friendly show! 

Last month, New York Governor Kathy Hochul urged Mayor Zohran Mamdani to spend less time attacking Israel and more time governing New York City, as his rhetoric continues to alarm Jewish residents amid elevated levels of antisemitic hate crime.

“Let’s focus on blocking and tackling of city government,” Hochul told The New York Times. She also vowed to “throw my body against any antisemitism.”

In that vein, what does the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have to do with celebrating New York City?

I demand that you make every effort to ensure that the next performance of The Cardboard Pizza Puppet Circus, scheduled for this coming Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026, at Governors Island (DuYe Moves at Colonels Row) in New York City, be canceled immediately and that future shows for children be vetted. 

Respectfully,