All-New Shalom Sesame DVD Series Features New Stars, New Stories and New Celebrations
For Immediate Release
Can You Tell Me How to Get to the Land of Israel?
All-New ‘Shalom Sesame’ DVD Series
Features New Stars, Stories & Celebrations
Initial Titles in the Launch
-Welcome to Israel
-Chanukah: The Missing Menorah
Available on DVD October 5, 2010 from SISU Home Entertainment
New York, (July 7, 2010) – Middle East meets West with some very special – and occasionally furry – guests in Shalom Sesame, an “edu-taining” new series from the creators of Sesame Street featuring American and Israeli celebrities Debra Messing, Achinoam Nini, Mira Awad, Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Christina Applegate, Greg Kinnear, Debi Mazar and Ben Stiller, arriving on DVD October 5, 2010 from SISU Home Entertainment.
Join lovable, furry Grover and celebrity host Anneliese van der Pol (That’s So Raven, Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast) as they travel to Israel to meet new people and learn new things in this 12-part DVD series co-produced by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street, and Israel’s Channel HOP! Designed to help bring the vitality of Jewish culture and tradition as well as the diversity of Israeli life to American children and their families, each 30-minute, live-action and animated DVD will focus on storylines drawn from Jewish cultural traditions, highlighting lessons on Hebrew letters and words, unique sites in Israel, and Jewish values.
Initial titles in the launch include “Welcome to Israel” and “Chanukah: The Missing Menorah” and will be available nationwide on DVD October 5, 2010. Future titles will be released beginning January 2011 and, through familiar and new Muppet characters, celebrities and stories, viewers will learn about Jewish traditions, culture and holidays. Aspects of Jewish life such as celebrating Shabbat, exploring Jewish values and mitzvoth, and the Hebrew alphabet will be introduced, along with holidays such as Purim, Passover, Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.
As with all Sesame Workshop series, Shalom Sesame is not just for television. This multimedia project will also have a free website tailored for use at home and in school launching along with the DVD series. The website www.ShalomSesame.org will feature content from the new Shalom Sesame in the form of activities and games, videos, caregiver tips and activity suggestions for educators. Additionally Shalom Sesame-themed community outreach events will take place, bringing series content to families in Jewish communities across the country.
“This all-new Shalom Sesame is designed to further enrich and engage Jewish children and foster their Jewish identity,” says SISU Home Entertainment’s Haim Scheininger. “With a fresh new look, new celebrities and new content, a whole new generation of viewers will be exposed to Shalom Sesame. Sesame Workshop’s and SISU’s multi-platform approach is making Shalom Sesame one of the best resources for Jewish education in the country.”
“Welcome to Israel” Synopsis:
Grover and Anneliese go to Israel! Join your favorite blue monster and his new pal as they begin to explore this beautiful land. It’s an adventure they’ll never forget – full of fun, friends and flying falafel! Guest appearance by Christina Applegate.
“Chanukah: The Missing Menorah” Synopsis:
It’s time to celebrate Chanukah in Israel! Grover’s bringing the latkes and all is well until Anneliese gets caught in a game of tag with a chicken and loses her special menorah …just as Chanukah is about to begin! Can her friends find the missing menorah in time? Guest appearance by Debi Mazar.
Bonus extras on each DVD include “Grover’s Monster Music Videos,” option for English sub-titles and sneak peeks at all 12 titles in the series. Shalom Sesame DVDs will be available for a suggested retail price of $14.95 each. To order, call 1-800-223-7478 or visit http://www.sisuent.com.
About Shalom Sesame
The original Shalom Sesame series was released in 1988, contained 11 shows and was based on content from the earliest season of Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli adaptation of Sesame Street. The new Shalom Sesame project is expected to reach 500,000 Jewish children throughout its first five-year period.
About Sesame Workshop
Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization that revolutionized children’s television programming with the landmark Sesame Street. The Workshop produces local Sesame Street programs, seen in over 140 countries, and other acclaimed shows to help bridge the literacy gap, including The Electric Company. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms on a wide range of issues including literacy, health and military deployment. Initiatives meet specific needs to help young children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength to prepare them for lifelong learning. Learn more at www.sesameworkshop.org.
About SISU Home Entertainment
SISU Home Entertainment, Inc. was established in 1988 as a publisher and distributor of Israeli and Jewish video, audio, book and multimedia properties. The company’s goal has always been to make its products easily available to the Jewish market, whether directly from SISU/KOL AMI or through various Judaica shops, major retail stores and websites. SISU’s extensive selection of videos includes the best children’s programs available for the Jewish and Israeli consumer. It also includes documentaries and feature films, as well as programs on Jewish life and entertainment, social issues, the Bible and the Holocaust. SISU’s music selection includes everything from legendary Israeli performers to up-and-coming Jewish artists from Israel and the U.S. SISU caters both to secular and religious music consumers. SISU is a major supplier of Jewish/Israeli programming to major national distributors, retailers, catalogues and other venues in the U.S. http://www.sisuent.com.
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Series: Shalom Sesame
DVD Titles: Welcome to Israel
Chanukah: The Missing Menorah
Release Date: October 5, 2010
Order Date: September 8, 2010
R/T: Approximately 30 minutes each, plus over 30 minutes in bonus extras.
SRP: $14.95 each (home video only)
Distributor: SISU Home Entertainment
340 W. 39th St. 6th Fl.
New York, NY 10018
212-947-7888
Contacts:
Andrea Blain Public Relations
847-933-9884
andrea@andreblainpr.com
Lauren Ostrow
Sesame Workshop
212.875.6540
lauren.ostrow@sesameworkshop.org
