Shalom Sesame

Country

United States

How it feels

This series introduces children to Israeli culture and Jewish traditions through the familiar Sesame Street format. It mixes characters from the American and Israeli versions of the show and features special celebrity guests.

educationalwholesomeplayfulwarmlightheartedinclusivegentleupbeat

What happens

Shalom Sesame is an anglicized variation of Rechov Sumsum (רחוב סומסום), the Israeli version of Sesame Street, which originally aired in 1983. Shalom Sesame was produced in 1986 and between 1990 and 1991 for the direct-to-video market in the United States, aimed at introducing Israel and Judaism to children that are not necessarily fluent in the Hebrew language, since Rechov Sumsum is completely done in Hebrew. Beginning in April 1988, the Shalom Sesame episodes were broadcast on PBS following their video releases. It includes characters from both Sesame Street and Rechov Sumsum, the Hebrew/Arabic version of Sesame Street, produced and aired in Israel, the Palestinian territories, and Jordan. Also, as with the American series, the series featured special guests well known to American viewers. Guests included Itzhak Perlman, Bonnie Franklin, Mary Tyler Moore, Mandy Patinkin, Alan King, Joan Rivers, Nell Carter, Jerry Stiller, Jeremy Miller, Anne Meara, Tracey Gold, B.B. King, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Paul Shaffer. In October 2010, a new 12-part Shalom Sesame series began, with stars including Jake Gyllenhaal, Christina Applegate, Debra Messing, Greg Kinnear, Anneliese van der Pol, and Cedric the Entertainer. The new series added Mahboub, an Arab Israeli Muppet, and other new characters from the 2006 revival of Rechov Sumsum. It also features the Israeli singer Ayal Ingedashet, of Ethiopian Jewish background, as the human character Lamlam in each series. The only revival episodes broadcast on PBS Kids were "Chanukah: The Missing Menorah" and "It's Passover, Grover!" It was directed by Aaron Kaplan who followed by directing all the local sesame series thereafter. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

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