ABSTRACT: “As Though There is Peace”: Opinions of Jewish-Israeli Children About Watching Rechov Sumsum/Shara’a Simsim Amidst Armed Political Conflict
This article discusses the reception of a peace communication intervention designed to promote pro-social intergroup relations among young children during a period of political conflict. Warshel’s audience reception analysis was conducted in 2001 with the Jewish-Israeli child audience for the peace-building edutainment television programme “Rechov Sumsum/Shara’a Simsim”, the Israeli/Palestinian version(s) of “Sesame Street”. Conducted during a period of heightened hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians known as the Al-Aksa Intifada, this research was based on the observation that, despite adult concern about the impact of armed political conflict on children, “adults often neglect to discuss armed political conflict with children. They may…think children are impervious to the constructs of conflict or in need of sheltering from it and so fear raising the subject.”
