Gyllenhaal, Stiller to appear on 'Shalom Sesame' series

Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Stiller and Christina Applegate are just a few of the top celebrities who will be featured on a new Sesame Street-style production geared at teaching Jewish-American children about Jewish culture, entitled "Shalom Sesame."

According to an article on HollywoodReporter.com, "'Shalom Sesame,' a 12-part series for preschoolers featuring the globe-trotting Muppet Grover, will explore Jewish identity and traditions and will film on location at several Israeli sites, including the Western Wall."

Other notable celebrities that will be making appearances on "Shalom Sesame" include actress Debra Messing from NBC's "Will & Grace" and the USA Network miniseries "The Starter Wife," actor Greg Kinnear, who was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his role in 1997's "As Good as It Gets," and Cedric the Entertainer, who voiced the character of Maurice in 2005's "Madagascar" and its 2008 sequel, "Madagascar: Escape to Africa." The celebrities will be accompanied by puppets as well as children in segments that will be filmed in both the U.S. and Israel.

Another star that will be making an appearance on the series is 24-year-old Anneliese van der Pol. She is Jewish and is named after Anne Frank, the teenage Holocaust victim. She is also a Broadway actress and star of the Disney Channel's "That's So Raven," and arrived for her first visit to Israel on Wednesday to tape her scenes with the Muppets.

The HollywoodReporter.com article also mentions that, "'Shalom Sesame' was first produced in 1986, selling more than 1 million copies on video and DVD. The new incarnation will tackle more issues of diversity for Jewish children and be accompanied by an interactive Web site and other outreach materials."