November 21, 2013, New York, NY -- The Union for Reform Judaism, in partnership with Shalom Sesame, now shares Shalom Sesame’s engaging videos on ReformJudaism.org, the first website to approach Jewish life, practice, learning, and social justice from a modern Jewish perspective. Families of young children and Jewish educators who are searching for creative ways to explore Jewish stories, culture, and ideas can now find new video content, suggested activities and topics for discussion from Shalom Sesame.
“Just in time for Hanukkah, we have Shalom Sesame videos that parents can watch with their children. Then, they can try some of the discussion ideas and activities recommended by Reform Jewish educators to further extend the lessons learned in the videos,” said URJ Director of Communications Deborah Goldberg, “We hope the videos will inspire visitors to find age appropriate ways to discuss Jewish holidays and ideas with their children.”
Created by Sesame Workshop over 25 years ago, the first edition of Shalom Sesame became the most popular Jewish video series ever. Twelve new episodes were released in 2010, and along with the program’s strong web presence, the multimedia content has already been enjoyed by millions of families across North America. ShalomSesame.org videos and content focus on the Jewish holiday cycle, Jewish values, Shabbat, Israel and the Hebrew language.
The Shalom Sesame multimedia approach serves as an "on-ramp" for young children, a flexible engagement tool for parents and educators alike. In research on the impact on Shalom Sesame, 9 out of 10 parents rated Shalom Sesame "good" or "great," reporting many incidents where children's connection to the Sesame Street characters acted as a successful springboard for family conversations on Jewish holidays, culture, and values. Research concludes that the Shalom Sesame multimedia programming succeeds as both an effective catalyst and tool in early childhood Jewish education.
Synagogues or other organizations that are interested in hosting a screening of Shalom Sesame may contact sesameshalom@gmail.com.