Iftah Ya Simsim
The show focused on Arab heritage, like the wedding rituals of countries in the region, and included Arab poems and songs. "Iftah Ya Simsim" premiered in Kuwait in September 1979, and was broadcast in all Arabic-speaking countries excluding Egypt. The show's opening consisted of a catchy tune that became beloved of its young viewers. As the song played, the opening footage showed children across the Arab world running past familiar landmarks like the Pyramids and playing in playgrounds and ancient alleyways before running into a white fort that had its gates open wide. The show's set consisted of an intricately traditional Arabian neighborhood called "Sharee Eshreen" (20th Street).
Fishel Hershkowitz
Ephraim Fishel was born on Yom Kippur 1922 (10 Tishrei 5683) in the city of Mukačevo, Czechoslovakia (present-day Zakarpattia Oblast, Ukraine). His father, Rabbi Shlomo Hershkowitz, and his grandfather, Rabbi Avraham Hershkowitz (author of "Birkas Avraham al HaTorah") were loyal Spinka Hasidim. When he was older, Ephraim Fishel would accompany them to visit the Spinka Rebbe, Grand Rabbi Isaac Weiss (1875–1944) on every Yom Tov.