Shalom Sesame Shalom Sesame is a co - production between " Sesame Street " and its Israeli counterpart , " Rechov Sumsum " . The series was conceived as an attempt to bring Israeli life and Jewish culture to American audiences , and had a long gestation period . The series starred porcupine Kippi Ben Kippod , and Moishe Oofnik , the Israeli counterparts , respectively , to Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch . Benz , Arik , and Kermit Tzefarde , the Hebrew versions of Bert , Ernie and Kermit the Frog , were also highlighted and classic Bert and Ernie skits appeared in nearly every episode , but Jim Henson and Frank Oz never appeared as their characters in newly filmed material for the series . Big Bird , Oscar the Grouch and Grundgetta were the only American Muppets to appear in new material for " Shalom Sesame " . Violinist Itzhak Perlman was a frequent guest star . Other guest stars included American actors Sarah Jessica Parker , Jerry Stiller , Jeremy Miller , and Bonnie Franklin . Both Hebrew and English were spoken on the program , and it was common to see American Muppet skits alternate between characters dubbed in Hebrew and speaking in the original English . The series ' opening sequence , depicting animated Bert and Ernie flying ( via paper airplane ) from the US to Israel , was produced by Bill Davis ' Artbear Pigmation studio . The theme was a combination of the theme songs of both " Sesame Street " and " Rechov Sumsum " . In addition to PBS , the series also aired on Israeli television , on EMTV , as " Shalom Sumsum " . Unlike the US version , there was no attempt at bilingualism . The Israeli puppeteers and performers re - looped their own dialogue in Hebrew , while the celebrity guests and other American performers were dubbed by local actors . As of fall 2012 , the entire series of 23 shows has been broadcast sporadically on the Jewish Life Televison network . Development . The brainchild of Lewis Bernstein , who had been instrumental in developing " Rechov Sumsum " , the series began with a 20 minute pilot , funded by a Revson Foundation grant . The pilot featured Mandy Patinkin and Mary Tyler Moore , contrasting their different levels of awareness about the culture , as they explored the language and customs of Israel with Jewish and non - Jewish children . Later installments would feature location shooting dominating over studio skits , and more exploration of the physical geography of Israel as well as its social and linguistic map . The first and to date only adaptation of an international co - production for English - speaking audiences , the series was targeted at an older age group than either " Rechov Sumsum " or " Sesame Street " , approximately 6 to 12 . Episodes . 1986 - 1991 shows . Initially , 26 episodes were planned in 1985 , but only 5 full episodes were produced at that time . Although conceived for television , the initial episodes received video distributorship first . Unlike the My Sesame Street Home Video series that ran concurrently with " Shalom Sesame " , the videos were not released to retail . The original tapes were produced by and could be ordered directly from the Children ' s Television Workshop offices . The five episodes later made their TV debut in April 1988 in most markets . These episodes star Bonnie Franklin and Itzhak Perlman , along with the Muppets and current cast of " Rechov Sumsum " . A second season of episodes was filmed in 1990 and debuted that year during Hanukkah , with video sales following . Video sales began in retail around this time , CTW opting to license the series out to Jedaica entertainment companies such as SISU Home Entertainment rather than distribute the series through then - distributor of " Sesame " titles Random House Home Video . Eight episodes were planned for filming that year , with the following three being produced over the summer . These shows star Jeremy Miller and feature human co - stars Yoav and Daphna , along with Kippi and Moishe . Several months later , a second half of episodes aired in 1991 around the Passover season . Due to safety concerns for the American and Israeli performers at the height of the Gulf War , these final shows were filmed at " Sesame Street " ' s New York production facilities , rather than using the " Rechov Sumsum " facilities in Tel Aviv . While five episodes were originally planned , only three were produced . Unlike the previous waves of episodes , these three shows have no central human star , but prominently feature Jerry Stiller and Sarah Jessica Parker . Home Video 2010 - 2011 shows . Nearly twenty years later , it was announced that a new version of the series was to be produced , with production taking place in Israel during the fall of 2009 . The twelve - video began release on October 5 , 2010 , in time for the Chanukah season . Unlike the previous version , these were made exclusively for the home video and online market ( though the Chanukah and Passover episodes have been run on PBS ) . The twelve - video series stars Anneliese van der Pol and Grover , along with the human and Muppet cast from the 2006 revival of " Rechov Sumsum " . The series also features new celebrity appearances by Christina Applegate , Jake Gyllenhaal , Debra Messing , Greg Kinnear , Cedric the Entertainer , Debi Mazar , and Eva Longoria . The series features a new opening theme , written and performed by Lisa Loeb , and the recurring segment " Postcard from Grover . " Though the Hebrew language is still taught in the videos , the bi - lingual aspect has been toned down considerably , where most of the American material remains solely in English . Each DVD features a bonus feature , " Grover ' s Video Player . " The shows are available in the United Kingdom by Wienerworld Ltd . in 2012 .