Shalom Sesame Receives Hugo Television Award
Shalom Sesame, a twelve-part DVD series offering North American children and families an introduction to Jewish life and culture, won a Hugo Television Award Certificate of Merit: Children’s Program for the episode, “It’s Passover, Grover!” This marks the first Hugo Television Award for Shalom Sesame, which is co-produced by Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, and Channel HOP!, the leading children’s channel in Israel.
The winning Shalom Sesame episode, “It’s Passover, Grover!” finds the zany blue monster Grover and his friend Anneliese van der Pol (That’s So Raven, Broadway’s Beauty and the Beast) on a visit to Israel and it is almost time to celebrate Passover—only there is no horseradish to be found. Grover and Anneliese, along with Avigail, a beloved Muppet friend from Rechov Sumsum, put their heads together to track down the missing horseradish, exhibiting teamwork and problem solving skills, all while learning about the traditions of Passover. The Shalom Sesame series is designed to introduce Jewish culture and traditions, as well as the diversity of Israeli life, to American children and their families, through storylines drawn from Jewish traditions. The series also celebrates introducing Jewish values and concepts and introduces viewers to the Hebrew language.
The Hugo Television Awards were founded 47 years ago to acknowledge those who keep the television medium vibrant and shape its future. The Hugo TV Awards are presented annually in Chicago by the Chicago International Film Festival.
Shalom Sesame is available on DVD from SISU Home Entertainment, to order visit http://www.sisuent.com/.
“It’s Passover, Grover!” can also be seen on PBS (check local listings). For more information, including materials for parents and educators, please visit http://www.shalomsesame.org/. For clips from the series, visit the Shalom Sesame YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/shalomsesame.
