:‹
g_ i 'L. zt
IN 1 l• 11'1
CA- 1. I I
. A.
Sesame Buddy
New Shalom Sesame uses Grover
to bridge Israel-Diaspora gap.
The sto* of
EST mUSICAL
2006 Tony Award Winner
On sale at the Fisher Theatre box office &
all Ticketmaster outlets including select Macy's
Ticketmastercom • 1-800-982-2787
BroadwayInDetroit.com • Info 313-872-1000
Groups (20+): 313-871-1132 or groupsales@nederlanderdetroitcom
Fisher Theatre • December 17—January 23
JerseyBoysinfo.com
Wish Our Customers a Very Happy & Healthy New Year
27815 Middlebelt at 12 Mile • Farmington Hills
tip
&till
(248) 851-8222
Keep your company top of mind with our readers.
ADVERTISE WITH US! CALL 248.351.5107
Visit theJEW1SHNEWS.com
iN
104
September 17 2009
Dina Kraft
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Herzliya, Israel
The Ginopolis Family & Staff
Otf.
Grover chats with an Israeli boy at an overlook of the Western Wall in
Jerusalem's Old City during the filming of Shalom Sesame.
G
rover has been getting to
know Israel.
The furry, blue Sesame
Street character has visited the Dead
Sea, Caesarea, the Western Wall and
even Jerusalem's shuk to sample the
produce.
Along with Disney Channel star
Annelise van der Pol, Grover has
been exploring the Jewish state as
part of a Sesame Workshop produc-
tion called Shalom Sesame.
The 12-part series is geared
toward North American Jewish chil-
dren and their families to forge a
sense of Jewish identity by providing
a taste of Israel, Jewish traditions
and culture. It will include celebrity
appearances by Jake Gyllenhaal,
Debra Messing and possibly Ben
Stiller, among others, and is sched-
uled for a Chanukah 2010 release.
A 1986 production of the same
name sold 1 million copies and is
considered the top-selling Jewish
educational title.
More than 20 years later, it was
time to update and overhaul the
content.
"The needs of the Jewish com-
munity have changed," said Danny
Labin, the project's executive direc-
tor, speaking at the studio outside of
Tel Aviv where segments are being
filmed.
Labin noted shifting demographic
realities such as intermarriage and
Israel's large immigrant populations
from the former Soviet Union and
Ethiopia. Two of the new human
characters reflect this diversity in
Israel: One is an Ethiopian Israeli
woman, the other a Russian immi-
grant.
Scripts and concepts have been
reviewed with the help of a team of
senior experts in Jewish education
representing the religious streams
and a range of backgrounds, from
Chabad to Reform.
"We are trying to make some-
thing that is accessible to those
not ensconced in a formal Jewish