NYC Kids’ Puppet Show Takes Shocking Anti-Israel Turn

“I felt like I was surrounded by ideological enemies,” the Brooklyn mother said.

By United with Israel Staff

A Jewish mother who took her 4-year-old son to a family-friendly puppet show in Lower Manhattan was shocked when the performance abruptly shifted into anti-Israel political messaging, according to the New York Post.

The Brooklyn mother, 43, said she attended the Aug. 13 performance expecting a lighthearted show about New York City. Promotional material advertised “dancing skyscrapers, giant rats, fossil-fuel-fighting flowers, a live brass band, and Lady Liberty herself.”

But roughly 15 minutes into the hour-long performance, the tone changed.

“The anti-Israel stuff came out of nowhere,” said the mother, who asked not to be identified and described herself as a “proud Zionist.”

According to the mother, 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. 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 4-year-old son repeatedly asked what was happening after noticing her stunned reaction.

She described her heart pounding as people around her appeared to agree with a series of accusations against Israel, including claims about Israel bombing hospitals.

“I felt like I was surrounded by ideological enemies,” she said. “This particular group held very antisemitic views. It felt like a mob. The hairs on the back of my neck just stood up.”

She said she remained silent because she feared the crowd would turn against her if she spoke out in opposition to Hamas.

“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.

The performance was produced by Boxcutter Collective, a Brooklyn-based theater group whose members met while working with Vermont’s longtime political puppet company Bread & Puppet Theater. The collective describes its work as having a political, anti-capitalist, environmental and social focus.

In November 2023, roughly a month after the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, Boxcutter participated in a performance of “The Gaza Monologues,” presented in response to what organizers described as the “horrific war taking place in Gaza.”

Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt also condemned the performance, arguing that anti-Israel messaging had no place at a publicly funded event intended for families.

“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,” Greenblatt wrote.

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

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.

This is an inappropriate use of public resources.…

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) August 28, 2026

The incident also comes as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has brought his staunchly anti-Israel politics into City Hall. A longtime supporter of the BDS movement, Mamdani has repeatedly accused Israel of committing “genocide” in Gaza and has refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

After taking office, Mamdani revoked several executive orders issued by former Mayor Eric Adams, including measures directing city agencies to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism and opposing efforts to boycott Israel.

Mamdani has also directed fierce rhetoric at Netanyahu, calling the Israeli leader a “war criminal” and the “architect of a horrific genocide,” and has called for his arrest if he visits New York.