Sesame Street Takes On a Role in the Middle East

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Arts, Briefly
Compiled by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER

Sesame Street Takes On a Role in the Middle East

Sesame Street is returning to Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Years after the original episodes went off television because of a lack of
financing, the show is returning in Israeli and Palestinian versions, The
Associated Press reported. For the first time, the Israeli version, Rechov
Sumsum, will feature an Israeli Muppet of Arab origin, Mahoub, who speaks
Hebrew and Arabic. And new human actors will include Russian and Ethiopian
Jewish immigrants, who have been unwelcome to some Israelis. The
Palestinian show, Sharaa Simsim, seeks to offer positive role models to
boys in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Gary Knell, the president of Sesame
Workshop, the New York-based nonprofit organization behind Sesame Street
programming worldwide, said, There's a desire of the political leaders to
change the endless debate that seems to be passed down from generation to
generation.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/01/arts/01arts.html?_r=1&ref=arts&oref=slogin

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