Most parents, myself most certainly included, felt heartbroken to read about the recent troubles at Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit behind “Sesame Street,” which is struggling due to budget cuts. They’ve lost their streaming deal with HBO and are having a hard time competing in the oversaturated kids’ TV market. As big a fan I am of “Bluey” and “Ms. Rachel,” no show can ever compete with the international magic of “Sesame Street,” a show that, since 1969, generations of children grew up on — children who then became parents raising their own children on those charming muppets and their human neighbors.
The last few seasons of the show, which did also have an Israeli and a Jewish spinoff (“Rechov Sumsum” and “Shalom Sesame”), also delivered charming and deeply felt Jewish representation thanks to Violet Tinnirello’s Charlie, who has taught Elmo to celebrate Hanukkah and organized with her family a heartwarming Shabbat meal on the iconic street for which she taught her neighbors to bake challah.
Last month, the show premiered another episode about an important Jewish concept — the mitzvah. Charlie’s mother, Mary, played by veteran workshop puppeteer Jennifer Barnhart, describes it as an “act of kindness” in Hebrew. The word literally means a commandment — there are 613 commandments Jews are traditionally meant to follow, including things we are commanded to do and not do. But nowadays, when many of us call something a mitzvah, we do mean a generous, good deed.
In the episode called “Mitzvah Day Mix-Up,” which originally aired on February 15, 2025, Charlie is waiting for a delivery for her synagogue’s “Mitzvah Day” as her mother prepares to deliver some sandwiches for the Jewish house of worship (“a synagogue is a temple where Jewish families like mine go to pray, learn and celebrate Jewish holidays,” Charlie explains to Elmo and the viewers).
Charlie is hoping to install a Little Free Library for Sesame Street residents to exchange books. She explains the concept of Miztvah Day to the always inquisitive Elmo by saying, “On Mitzvah Day, everyone in our synagogue works together to help our neighbors on Sesame Street,” adding that “helping the neighborhood share books is part of making the world a kinder place.”
Elmo and Charlie watch as Grover delivers the mail which, instead of being filled with all the pieces for the Little Free Library Charlie wants to build for her community, is full of colorful balls.
Charlie decides to make the library herself, and right away, the residents of “Sesame Street” come to help. Elmo offers the paint, Grover scouts the prefect location for the library, Cookie Monster offers two metal trays for the roof, wood is supplied by leftovers from a project Alan was doing at Mr. Hooper’s Store and doors come from Burt’s first pigeon coop. Burt and Ernie come to offer books (“Bath Time Chanties” and “The Complete History of Oatmeal” are two of the tomes they share). Big Bird brings a book of big birds that he made himself. Abby supplies a base for the library, a sweet mushroom post with climbing vines. The library is adorned with decorations that come from other street residents — little guitar pick flowers from Rosita, flowers made out of circuit boards and wires provided by Tamir and Ji-Young and little foil foliage from Oscar the Grouch. The result is so much more beautiful and unique than anything Charlie could have ordered online.
As she builds her library, Charlie also explains why she wanted to build the free library. Her Hebrew school teacher urged her and her fellow Jewish students to “think of things that we wish were true about our community and find ways to make it happen,” suggesting things like dog walking for a neighbor in need, donating toys or making cards for people in the hospital. Charlie said she chose to make the library because “I wished there was a way that people could share the things they care about with each other.” And in building the library with her community, she also made it an object that represents those things, too.
Charlie likens the process of building the library together to the Jewish idea of tikkun olam, the concept of fixing the world. “Jewish people believe in tikkun olam. Everybody can do a little to help make the world a better place,” she so aptly surmises.
“Mitzvah Day Mix-Up” is streaming on Max.
