Iftah Ya Simsim
Iftah Ya Simsim (; meaning "Open Sesame") is the first international co-production of the American children's television series "Sesame Street" created in the Arab world. It premiered in Kuwait on September 14, 1979 and was broadcast in 22 Arabic-speaking countries, running until April 6, 1990. The program continued to be well-known decades after it went off the air. In 1978, educators, mass media officers, and social planners agreed to adopt "Sesame Street" as a feasible and economical solution for the low attendance in preschools and illiteracy that plagued the region. They approached the Children's Television Workshop (CTW), the producers of the American show, and purchased the rights to create an Arab version for US$2.5 million.
Isaac Shalom
Isaac I. Shalom (September 15, 1887 – July 24, 1968), was an American businessman, philanthropist, and one of the leaders of the Sephardi and Syrian Jewish communities in New York.
Isaac Shalom was born in Aleppo, Syria on September 15, 1887. In 1910 he emigrated to the United States and settled in New York′s Lower East Side. He started his career as a textile peddler and soon became a supplier to other Syrian Jewish immigrants. In 1921 he established the handkerchief firm of I. Shalom & Co., which developed into one of the leading manufacturers in its field in the United States.