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.
Shir Yaakov
Sam Benjamin "Shir Yaakov" Feinstein-Feit (born February 27, 1978) is an American liturgist, singer-songwriter, composer, and prayer leader. He is a co-founder of the Kol Zimrah minyan and musical director at Romemu, the largest Jewish Renewal community in New York. As a musician, he has recorded three full-length albums and has performed with the groups Darshan and The Epichorus.