Shalom Sesame is an anglicized variation of Rechov Sumsum, the Israeli version of Sesame Street, which originally aired in 1983. Shalom Sesame was produced in 1986 and between 1990 and 1991 for the direct-to-video market in the United States, aimed at introducing Israel and Judaism to children that are not necessarily fluent in the Hebrew language, since Rechov Sumsum is completely done in Hebrew. Beginning in April 1988, the Shalom Sesame episodes were broadcast on PBS following their video releases.