I am proud to be part Jewish and although we are not a religious family, it’s always wonderful to teach my children about their heritage, especially during this time of the year. As a child I always thought it was super cool to get to celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. More gifts and more fun for me meant that December was always extra neat. Now that I’m the parent, we try to incorporate our children’s background into everyday life. Currently we’re in the midst of Hanukkah I am happy to be able to bring a wonderful aspect of the Jewish culture here to Obviously MARvelous.
What happens when you combine the lovable Sesame Street Muppets with a visit to Israel to learn more about Jewish culture and the Hebrew language? You get Shalom Sesame! Created by the 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 they have already been enjoyed by millions of families across the United States. The new twelve part series is a journey of Jewish discovery. Children get a “Grover’s eye-view” of Israel, learn Hebrew words, delight at animated stories from the Jewish tradition and laugh at the antics of the Muppets as they learn more about Jewish culture. Each 30 minute, live action and animated DVD focuses on storylines drawn from Jewish cultural traditions, highlighting lessons on Hebrew letters and words, unique sites in Israel and Jewish values. Some of the many guest appearances include Christina Applegate, Debra Messing, Jake Gyllenhaal, Eva Longoria, and more!
We received the second DVD in the Shalom Sesame series called Chanukah: The Missing Menorah!
It’s time to celebrate Chanukah in Israel! Grover is bringing the latkes, and all is well until Anneliese gets caught in a game of tag with a chicken and loses her special menorah… right before sunset! Can her friends find the missing menorah in time? Explore holiday foods, stories and traditions with familiar faces from Sesame Street including Grover, Telly and the Count. Learn to count in Hebrew, see how olive oil is made, and spin the dreidel with Baby Bear and his family in this new holiday special. With guest star Debi Mazar.
It’s been more than a few years since my last lesson in Jewish culture, so I was so excited to share this wonderful movie with my children to refresh my own memory as well as teach them important facts about the holiday. All three of them, even Makenna our 7 year old, sat intrigued for the entire 30 minutes. Chanukah: The Missing Menorah was adorable and brought everything wonderful to the table that the Sesame Workshop is infamous for. I really enjoyed it also! It’s very important to be able to answer any questions my children have about their culture and traditions, and believe it or not, this Shalom Sesame episode helped me remember some very important facts as well as got my children interested in the Jewish culture. At $14.99 per volume, or $149,99 for the entire 12 disc boxed set, I’d love to own the entire series to educate my kids as well as pass on to my niece or nephew due to arrive in June!
Buy It
To purchase any of the Shalom Sesame volumes, the entire 12 disk series, and more, visit the Shalom Sesame website. They also have some amazing printables, recipes, and even Ecards to download free!
Win It
Shalom Sesame has generously offered 1 lucky Obviously MARvelous reader a copy of Chanukah: The Missing Menorah on DVD
{ 32 comments… read them below or add one }
i love that it teaches about hanukah
I watched this last night for a bit w/ my boys. IT was so cute!
I learned Grover gives an eye-level view of Israel
I love the Moishe Oofnik character on Shalom Sesame
I think it is great to have so many cute Sesame Street items for hanukah.
I learned about the character Moishe Oofnik
i like that it teaches kids about Jewish people
Would love to see Grover Plants a Tree
Kims2312@verizon.net
I remember watching shalom sesame-sumsum growing up!
I enjoyed watching Baby Bear play Dreidel
love that this is a great way to learn about chanukah
ShalomSesame.org offers games, videos, activities and printables. The site focuses on the Jewish holiday cycle, Jewish values, Shabbat, Israel and Hebrew language
Thank you for hosting this giveaway
Louis
pumuckler {at} gmail {dot} com
I like that Grover’s in it…he’s our fave.
I learned that you can get a 2010 Shalom Sesame DVD Bundle too!
I learned that the site focuses on the Jewish holiday cycle, Jewish values, Shabbat, Israel and Hebrew language.
alittlepieceofheaven777(at)yahoo(dot)com
Grover rocks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love that it teaches about Jewish traditions, holidays, etc so that a child can understand and appreciate different religions.
ShalomSesame.org offers games, videos, activities and printables
i learned it is more then just a dvd
madamerkf at aol dot com
I learned about the character Moishe Oofnik
I love that Shalom Sesame gives kids an introduction to the Jewish faith in a way they can understand and that maintains their interest. wgbc1446[at]yahoo[dot]com
I love that ShalomSesame.org offers games, videos, activities and printables!
I love you can get a printable Hebrew Alphabet! What a great site!
jason(at)allworldautomotive(dot)com
like all the games, videos, activities and printables!
Recipes are at the site too!
I had no idea these even existed! These are terrific!
This teaches kids about the Hebrew language
Introduces families to Jewish things.
I like the Grover’s Purim Party game
I didn’t realize how many DVDs were available!
i like the hebrew onomatopea
There’s no talking about Judaism without talking about Hebrew. The ancient language (some say it’s more than 3,000 years old!) is not only the traditional language of the Jewish people and the Torah, but it’s also the language spoken in Israel today.
I visited the site and I love the printable pages.