The Tribeca Film Festival condemned comedian and actor Elon Gold’s and influencer Lizzy Savetsky’s remarks at a movie premiere involving a New York Times article in which Nicholas Kristof charged that Israel’s government had trained dogs to rape Palestinians.
The Tribeca Film Festival called Gold and Savetsky’s comments “offensive and unacceptable.”
Gold and Savetsky were speaking on the red carpet at the premiere of The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan), directed by Gidi Dar. Gold stars in this film opposite Shuli Rand.
In a clip that went viral, Gold was filmed saying, “I was only raped by two Israeli dogs.”
Savetsky responded by saying, “I thought they only raped Palestinians.”
Lizzy Savetsky attends as Ari Ackerman is Inducted into the Manhattan Jewish Hall of Fame Class of 2026 In Bryant Park on May 05, 2026 in New York City. (credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Ari Ackerman)
The Tribeca Film Festival management said it had reached out to the filmmakers for a comment but had not received a reply.
“Sexual violence and human suffering should never be mocked or minimized. The comments do not reflect the Tribeca Festival’s values, and we regret the hurt and offense they have caused,” the film festival said in a statement.
NYT Nicholas Kristof article
Kristof’s allegations about the sexual abuse of Palestinians in the Israeli prison system, whereby he charged that the prison management had trained and deployed dogs to rape prisoners, drew widespread criticism.
Rachel O’Donoghue wrote in The Wall Street Journal that the article “relies on a patchwork of omissions, dubious sources, and ever‑more lurid allegations, serving more to demonize Israel than to clarify what actually happened.”
“Worse is that this kind of reporting erodes trust in journalism and makes it harder for genuine victims of sexual violence to be believed,” she continued.
Roy K. Altman wrote in The Free Press, “Nicholas Kristof’s recent essay about supposed Israeli sex crimes against Palestinian detainees is a travesty.”
“Not simply because it’s wrong as a matter of fact,” he added, “or because it regurgitates long-debunked blood libels against the Jewish state at a time of rising antisemitism around the world… Kristof’s reliance on [anonymous sources] ensures that no one – most especially the Israelis – can ever prove him wrong.”
“That’s because he not only tells us very little about the accusers, but he tells us nothing about the offenses. No locations. No dates. No perpetrators,” Altman continued.
The National Center for Public Policy Research, a beneficial shareholder of the New York Times Company, has requested an inspection of certain books and records following the publication of the article.
The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan) is about a broke hassidic comedian who is desperately trying to get a new gig to make enough money to marry off his daughter.
Gold plays this comedian’s more successful American counterpart. Dar’s previous films include Ushpizin and Legend of Destruction.
A second Israeli film is being shown at Tribeca – Ruthy Pribar’s new movie, What Is to Come, which stars Ronit Yudkevitz and Yaakov Zada Daniel. It tells the story of a farming couple who decide to end their lives.
Pribar’s debut feature, Asia, was shown at Tribeca and won three awards: the Nora Ephron Prize for Pribar, best actress for Shira Haas, and best cinematography for Daniella Nowitz.
ISRAELI FILMS have often won important prizes and critical acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festival, which was created by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro, and Craig Hatkoff to help revitalize lower Manhattan following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
David Volach’s My Father My Lord and Talya Lavie’s Zero Motivation each won the Best Narrative Feature Award.
Ohad Knoller received the Best Actor Award for Yossi & Jagger, while Joy Rieger won the Best Actress Award for the film Virgins. Tom Nesher’s Come Closer won the Viewpoints section in 2024.
This year, the festival also included the world premiere of the documentary Noga, about Israeli alternative pop singer Noga Erez. The movie, which was directed and produced by Jono Bergmann and Benji Bergmann, is an American/Austrian/German/Israeli co-production.
It follows Erez as she is on the brink of superstardom with a distinctive, captivating sound and a major studio album on the way, and shows how she must redefine her role as a global star when war breaks out in 2023.
The festival opened on June 4 with a premiere screening of Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs That’s the Weight of the World), a documentary by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson.