Leonard Nimoy, best known as Spock on “Star Trek,” died on February 27. He was 83 and had been suffering from pulmonary disease, which he attributed to many years of smoking. Nimoy was born in Boston, and his parents were Yiddish-speaking Orthodox Jews who emigrated from what is now Ukraine. He played a number of Jewish characters over the course of his career. Spock’s famous split-fingered Vulcan salute also came out of his Jewish heritage.
“Star Trek”
“Star Trek” ran from 1966-1969. The series had a big impact on American culture, but its influence was not fully realized until after the series had been cancelled. When the show went into syndication, a cult-like following emerged that included, among other things, costume-clad Trekkies attending “Star Trek” conventions. There were several “Star Trek” movie sequels, including “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.” Nimoy directed “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” in 1986. In 2009, the franchise was rebooted with a new young cast and Nimoy was featured in cameo roles in both “Star Trek” and “Star Trek Into Darkness.”
The original creator of “Star Trek,” Gene Rodenberry, called Spock the “conscience” of the show. Spock’s split-fingered Vulcan salute is one of the most iconic and enduring symbols of the series and will forever be linked to Nimoy. He came up with it himself. The “V” gesture is based on the shape of the Hebrew letter shin, which is the first letter in the Hebrew words Shaddai (one of the names for God) and Shalom (peace, hello and goodbye). Nimoy has referenced the biblical Priestly Blessing from Numbers 6:24-6:26 along with the sign. It reads:
“May the Lord bless and keep you and may the Lord cause his countenance to shine upon you. May the Lord be gracious unto you and grant you peace.”
The spoken blessing that comes with the passage is “live long and prosper,” which also became synonymous with Spock and Leonard Nimoy. The last thing Nimoy tweeted before he died was LLAP; an acronym for the verse.
Other Works
In addition to “Star Trek,” Leonard Nimoy acted in a wide variety of TV shows, movies and theatrical productions. He portrayed Jewish characters in a number of roles. Nimoy’s voice was very recognizable and he also did voice work. Photography was a life-long passion; his photos appeared in exhibitions and publications.
- “Awake and Sing”
Nimoy’s first significant role, when he was 17 years old, was an amateur production of Clifford Odetts’s play Awake and Sing. It tells the story of a Jewish family during the Great Depression.
- “Fiddler on the Roof”
Nimoy was also an accomplished stage actor. He played Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” in 1971. Tevye is the lead character that struggles to keep Jewish cultural traditions alive in his family of five daughters.
- “A Woman Called Golda”
In 1982, he played Morris Meyerson, the husband of Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. Ingrid Bergman played Golda. Nimoy received his fourth Emmy nomination for the role. All of his other nominations were for “Star Trek.”
- “Never Forget”
“Never Forget,” released in 1991, told the story of an Auschwitz survivor, played by Nimoy, who confronted a neo-Nazi holocaust denier organization in court.
- Jewish Short Story Recordings for National Yiddish Book Center
English was Leonard Nimoy’s first language, but he needed to speak Yiddish in order to talk to his grandparents. As he grew older, preserving the language and passing it on to the next generation became an important cause. In 1995, he recorded a series of Jewish short stories for a National Yiddish Book Center radio show.
Leonard Nimoy was a unique and talented man that will be missed by many. His Jewish roots influenced many of the characters he played, including Spock.