:‹ 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