Producer who tore down Israeli hostage poster back on Broadway

Simon claims he was only trying to enforce Department of Sanitation rules on public signage.

By Jon Levine, The Washington Free Beacon

A Broadway producer who earned infamy for ripping down posters of Israeli hostages in New York City is back in business on the Great White Way.

James L. Simon, who used scissors to hack away a flyer of a Jewish person taken hostage by Hamas just days after Oct. 7, 2023, is working as a co-producer for the Broadway musical Operation Mincemeat.

An Upper West Side neighborhood blog initially published a video of Simon desecrating the poster, an act that earned him a spot in the online Jew Hate Database.

He later apologized and insisted to the New York Post that he tore it down to keep the city’s streets clean, claiming he was only trying to enforce Department of Sanitation rules on public signage.

His Tony-nominated production, which tells the story of an elaborate British deception operation during a critical moment in World War II, opened at the John Golden Theatre in March, and will run until February of next year.

Simon, also a board member at Untitled Theatre Company No. 61 and contributor to the Theater Resources Unlimited nonprofit organization, had kept a low profile between being busted for tearing down the poster and working on Operation Mincemeat.

Since the show opened, he has flooded the internet with positive coverage, pushing news of his transgression off Google’s front page.

A website called Infinite Sights published a story, “How James Simon Quietly Helped Shape Modern Broadway,” on Apr. 15 in its “Spotlight” section. The writer, Travis Hutton, noted Simon “doesn’t seek the spotlight.”

Hutton told the Washington Free Beacon via email that “most—95 percent—but not all of the Spotlight section are paid placements,” including his story on Simon.

Operation Mincemeat is not the only show Simon has produced since his reemergence.

He brought Edward Einhorn’s The Marriage of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe over the summer.

Simon offered a statement for a press release in which he attempted to lean into the play’s Jewish themes.

“I can’t wait for new audiences to see this play,” he said.

“It covers so much ground—Jewish celebrations, artistic genius, what it meant to be in love then and why it still matters now. But most importantly, it’s just a really fun, laugh-out-loud show. I think the world really needs that right now.”

Simon also has a profile on Cloutrep, a reputation enhancement service, where he says his “career reflects a deep commitment to the theatrical arts, showcasing his ability to adapt and thrive in a competitive and ever-changing industry.”

Neither Simon nor a representative for Operation Mincemeat responded to Free Beacon requests for comment. Untitled Theater Company No. 61 and Theater Resources Unlimited did not respond to comment requests either.