Tonight (starting at sundown) is the beginning of Yom Kippur – the Jewish day of atonement. Although Star Trek was never overtly religious, there are many links between Judaism and Trek (including Shatner and Nimoy themselves). Below is a video of Leonard Nimoy talking about Trek and Jewish tradition (click to see video at YouTube).
For more check out TrekJews.com.
Have I hijacked the opportunity to say it?
I’m confused, does this mean Madonna’s playing Nurse Chapel?
Anthony, God love ya for bein’ human. (As if I never made a typo!!!)
Cool!
cmdrr
well actually the version that went up an hour ago was a mistake…i had planned to put it up this evening and it went live accidentally before a check. But I got emails asking me to put it back up since some had sent links to their friends…so here it is.
…but yes I am human…all too human
Mugatu whose real name is Moshie Mugatowitz wants to send out a big mazeltov to his fans
Wait. Is Mako root kosher?
I would disagree. Star Trek was overtly religious. It was only the humans who were pretty much neutral about such things, but everyone else was into their own beliefs and gods. The entire 7 seasons of Deep Space Nine was built around the religion of the Bajorans. And even though many episodes of the original series were couched in science, many of it had the idea of religion at its very heart… episodes like Who Mourns of Adonais.
Gene Roddenberry may have put forward the notion that “religion” is for the unenlightened and there’s no room for it in the future, specially in the early seasons of TNG, many other episodes seem to refute it soundly. And in fact, the resistance of religion is a gross subversion behind the idea of IDIC, an idea of tolerance and acceptance that Star Trek always wanted to embody.
I’m not jewish but I believe that jewish hand signal(vulcan salute)signifies the parting of the red sea( hand is split with a valley between fingers).It’s a particularly signifigant moment in jewish history where God’s glory did arrive was made manifest by the parting of the red sea and entry into the promised land.It wouldn’t be difficult to imagine also that during periods of persecution it mave have been used to identify yourself as a jew to another jew.
Regarding Nimoy: “funny, he doesn’t look Vulcanish!”
OK, as long as we’re getting crude, rude, and socially unacceptable… do Vulcan moyels perform the bris with the lirpa?
oweee!
Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim
Mazel Tov, everybody!
I’m trying to think of a really cutting remark regarding a bris……hey, what’dya know!
Jewish Vulcan saying: “You should live so long and make a nice living.”
Although Star Trek wasn’t religious, it did discuss religion quite often. It was mentioned that although faith and religion do exist, the main government of the universe is science. With the tendency toward atheism in current society, this seems to be an accurate portrayal of future beliefs.
Ande I wille definitely checke oute TrekJews.come FORE more. ;P
Hey, VulcanBabe, that last comment of yours…..either you’re Russian, or you’ve been drinking, possibly both…..not that I’m saying the two go hand in hand, by the way……heh, heh, heh……
Nimoy is Jewish WTF?!
Shalom, Anthony. Thanks for the High Holy Day well-wishes …and the acknowlegment.
#16 “Nimoy is Jewish WTF?!”
So is Shatner, baby! Oy gevalt!!
Bread and Circuses was explicitly pro-Christian. (You’d think the universal translator would have a better way of handling ambiguous synonyms.)
#19: Do you mean homophones?
#16: Nimoy, Shatner and Koenig are all Jewish.
umm…It was a typo I was trying to point out, Harry, which was recently fixed.
Try thinking with something besides the second half of your name ^^
Okay, I’ll bite….what has my inferring that you’re an alcoholic Russian got to do with your thoughts going directly to my libido? I’m not saying you’re wrong, but hey, I like the way you think!
one problem the Vulcan salute is also featured as a Satanic salute on The Devil tarot card representing devil horns, which gave birth to the twofingered variant known as our peace sign which is also used in pranks as devil horns
At #23
With your username…could I logically infer anything else?
Try drinking some of that vodka, and see what you can make of my name. ^_~
On a more serious note, you did hit half the mark (*figuratively* speaking), as I am a sober Russian, and of partially Jewish descent, although I myself am not religious.
Ah, and a question that I have been wondering about for a while….I understand that Nimoy says Judaism ideals are present in Star Trek…
But how have Shatner and Nimoy’s Judaism roots affected their acting…for example, if anyone has seen “Patterns of Force”, how did they manage that one?
#24
The irony is actually very fitting…since Spock also has a devil’s ears.
#25
Thanks for sharing with a bit of your background. I see what you mean regarding my username, but I thought Fuzzy Nutz was too subtle!
“I thought Fuzzy Nutz was too subtle!”
For fear they’d be confused with acorns…
Yowza! I’d say you like to go for the jugular, but my anatomy would be off…….hmmm, I could be nasty and point out that a “sober Russian” is both an oxymoron and a contradiction in terms…..but, no, I won’t go there!
#8 – Actually, the hand sign was derived from the ancient “Kohane Blessing Ritual.” During this ritual, the Rabbis hold their hands in front of them, during the blessing, with their fingers in the same manner that we also associate with the Vulcan Hand Salute.
The position of the fingers in this manner approximates the Hebrew letter “shin”. This stands, in turn, for the Hebrew word “Shaddai” meaning “Almighty G-d”. (The Hebrew letter “shin” is the equivalent of the English “sh” sound and is the first letter in the Hebrew spelling of “Shaddai”.)
Nimoy saw this hand gesture as a boy during services, and when a salute was needed for the episode “Amok Time,” he remembered it and used it.
Shalom
May the Schwartz be with you! Oops, wrong movie.
I was just wondering–what does the Hebrew word “g’mar” mean exactly? I can only find translations of it with other words in a phrase.
Thanks.