yes, in some way it was too short, as one wants to listen to him more and more, but also if too long, may be one never have time to play it full. Fortunately the "full" interview is also on internet !
I sensed that Leonard really enjoyed this interview. The way he stared into space, reliving and seeing and feeling moments from his childhood and past, it was obvious to me that he enjoyed the experience. I had no idea he was Jewish or spoke Yiddish; this coming from a Trekkie who never NEVER missed a show each and every day that it was on TV. Leonard has a gift of story telling. The tenor, cadence, and depth of voice and emotion was evident in spades during this interview. RIP Leonard Nimoy. This was so short, too short. I am thankful to whoever did this interview but next time you're interviewing someone as interesting as Leonard Nimoy, for god's sake man, make it longer, MUCH longer.
Leonard your Yiddish is very good. Kudos to you. Teach your children and your grandchildren the language. Let them remember from whence they are from.And I wish you health and wealth . And LIVE LONG AND PROSPER.🖖 Do you know what this sign is. When the kohanim bless the congregation every holiday they lift their hands with this sign with both hands with the thumbs touching each other.
I've been a fan of Leonard Nimoy since I was 9 years old after watching him in the original Star Trek series in the late 1960s. I have enjoyed watching him perform since then on TV and in the cinema and like millions of others will miss this truly talented actor.
My maternal grandmother spoke Yiddish. She was from Russia long long ago. I will be terribly disappointed if Yiddish fades away. It is such an interesting (and sometimes hilarious) language! Good to see Leonard Nimoy again. He was a very good man.
Just overcome with emotion from this piece. So many lovely thoughts, memories, poetry, and his pure love of his family and life. That he lived with Italian families and Jewish families in Boston who spoke each other's languages was surely a part of his Spock character. Just beautiful!! l
My story is almost exactly like Leonard's, to include the Italian and Jewish kids growing up together [in South Philly]. My folks spoke Yiddish. When they didn't want me to know what was going on, they'd speak Russian. Mom would say, "Hoch mil nit in chinik. Ikh mach mil mashuga!"
Sadly after watching every episode at least 6 -12 times over the years, not me. I've had my fill. Star Trek will always hold a special place in my heart however as one of the greatest if not the greatest TV shows of all time.
me, but i prefer the older stuff. spock is one of my favorite film charakters ever and mr nemoy played him perfectly. people should view the documentation "for the love of spock". he was such a great man. hard worker and very humble, despite that he was a famous star.
Barry Etherton: I will. I am Suzanne, an original Baby Boomer (born in 1946). I watch the latest series, Picard, on CBS. I’ve been watching most of the Star Trek series’ since the 60s, when the Original began and have been watching new and old reruns for nearly 50 years now! It has become part of who I am, changed me and the way I think about science, and the way I think about the truth of innovations and discoveries that have come to pass, the existences of alien cultures and their influence on Earth and life and reality and the future.
Yes, Leonard Nimoy speaks Yiddish. Learn more about Leonard (Leyb) Nimoy from his Jewish roots in Boston's heymish West End neighborhood to his brief stint working with famous Yiddish theatre maven Maurice Schwartz in these video highlights from the Wexler Oral History Project's interview with the man made famous by his role as Spock on Star Trek.
I am so glad to finally hear the real Spock! To hear him speak Yiddish, who whould of ever thought! When I was growing up, Star Treck was one of my fav. shows. I had no idea that Spock was Jewish :D
My family are Ashkenazi but haven't spoken Yiddish in living memory, not my grandparents and I don't think their parents either. However, I am now learning Yiddish (helped by a free online course on Duolingo) and I see a great renaissance happening in Yiddish music, I still have hope for this funny old language of ours. So lovely to hear Leonard Nimoy speak it
Saw him as Malvolio in Twelfth Night in Pittsburgh in ‘75. Theatre in the round so we were right next to him. I was a big Star Trek fan (11 hrs. old) but was instantly captivated by his acting and his take on Shakespeare. Completely forgot Spock for the duration. Nice to see the connection here. Also wonderful to hear him do Shakespeare in Yiddish. He was fabulous!
I never could do the Vulcan greeting. My fingers just wouldn’t cooperate. But I faithfully watched Star Trek when I was a kid. My fav line from the show? For someone who always wanted to travel it had to be “beam me up Scottie!” And there was only one line from the movie:”I have been, and ever shall be, your friend!” Awesome!
Weird before this interview I never thought of him having any nationality except vulcan (as inconceivable as that is) I thought he was more a athiest if anything, but actually makes perfect sense! I watched this interview and it was like a lightbulb moment, like 'well yeah, of course, he's VERY Jewish really, isn't he?
When I was a child I was a little in love with Spock. Now that I'm older, I think I understand why. He seems one of the most unassuming, loving, wise men you could imagine. Rest in peace, sir. We miss you.
His worry that Yiddish is an endangered language is thankfully unfounded. It is alive and well within a plethora of orthodox communities worldwide. In pre-WWII Europe, the non-orthodox also conversed in Yiddish, and is is within those communities where it is almost extinct. As a Hollywood actor, his Jewish comrades were invariably of non-orthodox denominations, hence his perceived fear about the language nearing its end. RIP brother. We got this!
Wow, I knew about his Jewish roots, and that is how he came up with the Vulcan hand gesture, but I learned even more about him, like his family being from Ukraine and stuff, cool video.
The Jews as a whole are wonderful people and such a beautiful religion of peace. They do not proselytize, they do not declare war on their violent neighbors, they do not seize power in foreign nations, they respect other's beliefs. They set a place at the table for their enemies; Palestinians have a seat at Israeli parliament. They even speak fondly & elegantly their oppressor's language. Wonderful men and women.
You're 100% correct however the majority of the world hates them does not understand them is jealous of them makes fun of them you name it they're even hated by their own kind that's why there are so many different kinds of Jews I lost count already
OMG - Ich verstehe viele :) 🎶🎵 Shave and a haircut, 2 bits. 🎵🎶 my dad left his Jewish family from Yonkers and all the way to New York LOL my Grandma was a soprano, so i guess, my Dad becoming an actor wasn’t that big of a deal and he did become quite successful on Broadway.
*A DELIGHTFUL STORY...WE ALL LOVE LEONARD NIMOY, AND THAT MEANS, WHOEVER HE BECOMES, HE WILL ALWAYS REMAIN OUR INTERGALACTIC HERO!!* *WE PRAY FOR HIS SALVATION THROUGH OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, YESHUA HAMASHIA!!*
If you're worried about Yiddish disappearing, you can stop worrying. Just come visit me in Geula/Meah Shearim in Jerusalem. Lots of Yiddish spoken and lots of little kids speaking Yiddish as their language in school. And not only here --- lots of places in Israel. (Probably there are places in NY and Antwerp and other places as well.)
Hesch mol im Schwarzwald glebt ? Do im Sued Weschde,Alemannia. Do gibts allgemein au Geld. S'erschde mol ware alemanne do. Un dann hemma Siedler g'het. LG.
Mr Nimoy was so familiar to me. My father was an immigrant barber, (Greek), I was always half Greek, half English. Every word he speaks resonates with me. Feel as if I knew him.
What a deep thinker Leonard was. That last tweet of his was perfection and ironically it will be preserved not only in the memories of those who have read it, but for all time on the Internet.
Oh my goodness, that touched my soul! Cannot get over how wonderful this human being was! And how much these types of individuals are needed and missed today
I met him once, when I worked for the Doctor who treated his Mother, Dora in Beverly Hills. This was in 1999 and he was such a gentleman, kind, worried about his Mother’s tests results.
I didn't know that Leonard Nimoy was Jewish. This is beautiful, poignant material. Imagine- he spoke Yiddish fluently- marvelous. What a warm human being. Jerry Berkson
@@screamtoasigh9984 The very sign he made - hisfour fingers spread apart, two to one side, two to the other, are the sign that the priestly class (Cohanim) of the Jewish people do when they act as intermediaries to God, blessing the entire congregation with God's blessings and peace. "May the Lord bless you and keep you," "May the Lord shine his countenance upon you." "May the Lord give you peace."
I was born in A DP camp in Germany in 1947 to parents surviving Auschwitz, I love speaking Yiddish and Hebrew. This is wonderful to hear him speak my language. HOBE A GITTEN TOOG MY YIGALE. SHALOM...
How can you not love this guy? When I was much younger, I saw Leonard Nimoy in a TV movie that dealt with The Holocaust called "Never Forget." I think he played a character named Mel Mermelstein (I apologize in advance if I am incorrect). This was at a time when I was aware of him only as Spock and as the host of the TV series "In Search Of." It was such a different role and one of such significance that it shook me a little and made me realize that there was a bigger world out there. I'm sure it sounds a little cliched, but from the perspective of a small-town Catholic kid, it was profound. I had not been exposed to different cultures, and this was among the first. I'm grateful to Mr. Nimoy for his fine work.
Profoundly sad to hear of the passing of Leonard Nimoy. But it's nice to be among friends and read all of the heartfelt tributes to him. Thanks to all of you for letting me be a part of it.
Mel Mermelstein was an important person. Holocaust survivor, he took up the challenge of a West Coast Nazi Holocaust denier, who offered a reward for anyone who could prove there were gas chambers, etc. Outraged, Mel, who had lost family in the Holocaust took the Nazi's Institute for ...... to court, where overwhelming documentary evidence was introducted by historians, first hand witnesses, and all kids of other first hand documentation that proved there were mass executions. Mel's goal was, of course, not to collect the money put up as a challenge, but to have a court of law confirm for the historical records that the Holocuast happened and that the Nazi was a hate-filled liar blinded by an evil sou.
There's a lot of Yiddish spoken in Jewish community Manchester England I'm not jewish but I think it's Yiddish it doesn't sound like Hebrew so not to worry maybe it's not dying out they said the same thing about Welsh and it's not died yet
@@screamtoasigh9984 There has never been only one dialect of Yiddish. If anything, the jumber of dialects has dwindled. There are currently four dialects of Yiddish that I know of, and each is mutally intelligible to every community of Yiddish-speaking Jews. The only ones who have trouble understanding are those communities where Yiddish is not spoken at all, and those are mainly two: Hebrew-speaking Jews, and American Jews who speak only English. (Most Sephardim speak Hebrew.)
Precious post and thank you for finding this and making it available. Leonard Nimoy is a very fine human being. Gorgeous listening to all of this, just lovely. Thank you.
German( and all it's dialects) Low German, Yiddish, Dutch, Frisian - English ( the two Anglo-Frisian languages) are all closely related... English and German have the sh and ow sounds in it and sound a lot alike in Dutch ears.. are all west Germanic languages only 1500 years ago they were one language...English departed after 1066...when it got polluted by French..
@@Dear_Mr._Isaiah_Deringer .Agreed ! After 1066, English loan words from Norman French increased. Earlier than that, it was Latin that provided a good source of words. Danish, too, had had an indelible impact on the vocabulary and syntax of English. The 3rd person S singular for the present simple, the -ing suffix, the pronoun They, the pronoun She, the possessive ITS, in addition to some nine hundred words are all from Medieval Danish. English became truly what S.T. Coleridge described "The Harvest of the Nations." By the way, the Normans were Danes who used French for the Administration. So, French was already a language an enormous cultural heritage. Thank you for your patience.
I know German so, I can understand Yiddish. It has a zest and a flavor that German just does not have. There’s a vibrancy there. I love to hear it spoken. The first time I heard it, it was like tasting a home cooked meal after only having had the canned version. That saying about the onion with the head in the ground and the feet up in the air gets me every time. I recently heard another one that had me dying: “Sollst du alle deine Zähner verliehren akhutz vun eynem. Un der soll dir weh tun.” 🤣🤣🤣 I love it!
I live the same life as Leonard but opposite. I am hundred percent Italian grew up in Queens predominantly Jewish Irish German as a child I would run errands for the older Jewish people in my neighborhood. It’s like Leonard said they seem to be afraid but they were beautiful decent people. The greatest love in my life was a Beautiful Jewish girl.❤️ i’m old now I dream of her often👸🏻✡️❤️✝️ 🙏🏻
My mother was 10 when Nimoy was born. I just played this for her. Her parents also came over from Eastern Europe, and they spoke Yiddish at home. She understood his Yiddish just fine, although they have slight accent differences. We will miss him. Baruch dayan ha'emet. (Blessed is the Righteous Judge.)
very thoughtful of you to share with your mother. My grandparents on both sides spoke Yiddish at home. Both from Eastern Europe. I met Mr. Nimoy once in a book signing for his book "I'm not spock". He was very kind. Life is a precious gift.
imiss toronto My mum and dad used various Yiddish sayings, the one about the tea kettle (can't attempt to spell in Yiddish) is one that was used frequently in our house. I miss it too.
It is amazing how jews from any country love to hear Yiddish. There is some magic about the language. Leonard was a very special gentleman. I and my dear Mame had great fun speakig Yiddish. She was from Grodno, spoke with the litvak accent. May you all live long and prosper.
@@guerramarioalberto oh, yes! Ladino is a beautiful language. I love to hear it. I recently watched a movie in it which I found on RU-vid. It is almost all in Ladino. You can search for it. It is called Novia que te vea.
RIP Leonard Nimoy...love live and prosper! It was very touching that he would have regular sessions with a Yiddish speaking psychiatrist in LA to simply have someone to talk to in Yiddish.
Another side of Leonard Nemoy, Spock, that I never knew. Saying a lot in it. About Mothers and Yiddish culture and Jews and Italians getting along. Cool. I learned a little Yiddish in college. I hope it finds it's Youth to keep it alive! Had a great teacher at Tufts University, Sol Gittleman!
I'm half Italian, quarter English, eighth German, And eighth Jewish, I'm a mutt. Mr Spock was my favorite character on Star Trek. I tried to model my life after him, being logical and having common sense. and I think it has helped me a lot through my daily life.
Nimoy says the phrase at 9:18: "Hak mir nisht keyn tshainik" literally "Don't bang a teakettle" meaning "Don't bother me" --"hak" means chop (cognate of English "hack"), hew, mince, slash, beat. Notice I used "tsh" for the sound of ch as in church. This is how it is spelled in Yiddish (tes+shin) and avoids confusion with kh (khes or khof), the first sound of Khanukah or khutspe, often transliterated ch (which can be misread as English ch as in chop or even French sh sound as in cher or chanson). My parents also used it whenever we were nagging or begging for something.
Brings back such memories.. My Bubbe and Zayde and all my Dad's Aunts and my Husbands Mom and Aunts all spoke Yiddish fluently.. I can understand most all, but am sad to say I can not speak the language. This inspires me to learn quickly and teach my grandchildren... I sang my favorite Yiddish folk song's to them as babies, just as my Bubbe sang them to me. We really do need to keep the language alive. Thank you Leonard Nimoy.
It can leave you quickly but will return as quick if you hear it. I haven’t spoken it in years, and my understanding is also rusty. How sad not to have someone to talk to or hear it from. Good luck!.. Maurice HBank
Yes, I agree. My dad was from Warsaw and spoke it to me all the time. I speak it and understand it, but sadly, I have no one to use it on. Stay well, Maurice HBank aka Szulbank.
