Actress Anneliese van der Pol and Sesame Street Muppets Help Children Learn About Jewish Identity
Shalom Sesame Production Launches This Week in Israel
New York and Tel Aviv, August 25, 2009
Anneliese van der Pol,theAmerican actress and musical star (That’s so Raven, Beauty and the Beast)arrives in Israeltomorrow to guest star in the new production of Shalom Sesame, a Sesame Workshop program that brings the vitality of Israeli life, Jewish culture and tradition to American Jewish children and families. The 12-part series, co-produced by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit producers behind Sesame Street, and Israel’s Channel HOP!, is scheduled to be available in 2010 for digital distribution worldwide.
“Nothing speaks to children and families better than Sesame Street, so the new production of Shalom Sesame is bound to make a real impact on understanding and connection for the newest generation of Israeli and North American Jews,” said Danny Labin, Executive Director for both the Shalom Sesame and Rechov Sumsum projects. “The project is a platform for children, parents, and educators to explore their Jewish identity, culture and traditions.”
Van der Pol, whose mother named her after Anne Frank, said, “With my own multi-cultural background, I am convinced that this unique bi-national approach to strengthening Israeli and North American Jewish identity, especially when promoted by the universally beloved Muppets, will become an extraordinary tool for Jewish learning. I am thrilled to be coming to Israel to be a part of this exciting project.”
Shalom Sesame will combine studio and live segments featuring Muppets and children, and special guest appearances by American and Israeli celebrities such as Debra Messing, Achinoam Nini, Mira Awad, Jake Gyllenhaal, Christina Applegate, Greg Kinnear, and Cedric the Entertainer. Content will focus on Jewish holidays and celebrations of Jewish life, showcase unique sites in Israel, and encourage the learning of Hebrew letters and words.
The original Shalom Sesame series was released in 1986 and based on content from the earliest seasons of Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli adaptation of Sesame Street. The home video/DVD sold over 1 million copies making it the best-selling Jewish children’s video of all time. Three episodes aired on PBS and were viewed by an estimated 20 million people.
In addition, Sesame Workshop is simultaneously producing 40 new episodes of Rechov Sumsum in Hebrew and Arabic to be launched on Channel HOP! in December 2009. These projects address the common needs of children in Israel and the Diaspora to learn about personal identity and to value social diversity. The two new series are part of a comprehensive, educational initiative that also includes a new interactive Shalom Sesame website for pre-schoolers and their parents, and outreach materials that create meaningful connections between Jewish-American and Israeli schools, families, communities and individuals.
The Shalom Sesame and Rechov Sumsum initiative is a five-year multi-media educational project that is made possible through the generous support of a consortium of foundations and philanthropic sources that includes the Gruss Lipper Foundation, Gruss Life Monument Fund, Jim Joseph Foundation, American Greetings Corporation, The Ted Arison Family Foundation, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, Covenant Foundation, Righteous Persons Foundation, Bernard van Leer Foundation, Fohs Foundation, Rosenzweig Coopersmith Foundation, Alan B. Slifka Foundation, and Joyce and Irving Goldman Foundation.
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