![[Rabbi Gershom]](trekjews/trekreb6.jpg)
I have finally finished writing my long-awaited book,
Jewish Themes in Star Trek (Where No Rabbi Has Gone Before!) which I am dedicating to
the memory of Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut in space, and his six noble crewmates,
who perished aboard space shuttle Columbia on February 3, 2003.
(Note: Ilan Ramon was not the first Jew in space -- that honor went
to American astronaut Judith Resnick, of the Challenger crew, may she
also rest in peace among the shining souls in the heavenly Garden of Eden.)
Read an excerpt on Judith Resnik
from the book Jewish Heroes and Heroines in America by Seymour Brody.
My Star Trek project was inspired by a class I once taught at the Minneapolis Talmud Torah, and explores such Trekker topics as: Jewish origin of the Vulcan salute; How Vulcan culture is based on rabbinical Judaism; Do the Romulans resemble modern Israelis; Is Worf really a Klingon version of a ba'al tshuvah? Plus: I have proof positive that the Ferengi were based on Yankee traders, not the Jews!
And lots more.
Like my previous three books (on reincarnation -- see my FAQ) Jewish Themes in Star Trek combines careful scholarship with easy readability. I had a great time writing it, and I included plenty of my personal reactions and insights. (I've been a Trekker since the first episode aired, and Trekdom has had a very positive effect on my life.)
At the present time, my literary agent, Jim Cypher, is shopping the book around to various publishers. (My previous publisher did not want it because they don't do science fiction material.) See the listing on Publisher's Marketplace...
To receive notice of publication, sign up for my monthly TrekJews newsletter on Yahoo Groups. (You will not be spammed. I do not sell or share my mailing lists.) The archives there are public, so you can read the back issues for in-jokes, sneak previews, essays, book reviews, etc. even if you don't join the list itself.
The Dec. 2004 newsletter discusses a clearly Jewish character, Darya Bat-Levi, who appears in a 2003 Star Trek novel, Well of Souls by Ilsa J. Bick. On pgs. 30-33 Bat-Levi clearly says "I'm Jewish" and discusses some points of Jewish law and theology.
More Star Trek novels with Jewish characters...
Another list you might want to check out is trek-cochavim (That's "Star Trek" in Hebrew. Not to worry -- the list itself is in English). Trek-cochavim has been around for years, and is probably the first Jewish Trek list on the Net. It's a regular email listserv (not a newsletter) and produces a lot of messages. It's also hot-and-heavy debate in the Talmudic tradition, so wear a flak jacket if you are sensitive to flames. Or, you can just search the archives.
![[hasidic divider line]](hasid.gif)
Can you help me identify the rabbi who was involved in the baby naming ceremony for Gene Roddenberry's son, as he stated in his interview with The Humanist? (I already asked Majel and she didn't remember.) If you can verify who the rabbi was, you will get an acknowledgment in the book and a free copy when it comes out. (More info? See the August 4, 2004 newsletter in the archives...
Speaking of books, check out my
book reviews on Amazon.com. Find out what I've been reading, watching, or listening to lately (not all of it Star Trek, but most of it somehow Jewish.)
I'm currently on Amazon's list of Top Reviewers, voted there by readers like you. Thank you!
![[M'ress from the Animated Series]](trekjews/mress.jpg)
Here's a bit of little-known Jewish Trek trivia: In Alan Dean Foster's novelization of the Animated Episode, "The Ambergris Element," felinoid crewmember M'Ress
plays a game of draydel with her Academy roommate, Lena Goldblum.
(For those of you who are not Jewish, a draydel is a spinning top used in a Hanukkah game.) This incident does not appear in the episode itself, but clearly Foster was trying to include Jews in his version. I fell in love with M'ress (well, not literally) when I
first met her in some early Trek novels, because I'm a cat person. (We have nine cats.)
But I didn't discover that she was from the Animated Series until relatively recently.
This is because the series first aired on Saturday, which is the Jewish Sabbath -- a day I do not watch TV.
Visit a great site about the Animated Series...)
![[the Blessing Hands as jewelery]](trekjews/shalomhands2.jpg)
Attention Jewish Trekkers: Check out this "Shalom Hand" jewelry in a variety of styles (necklaces, pins, tie clips, etc.) exclusive original design from Dor L'Dor, (from generation to generation). Dor L'Dor is an educational resource center which
creates learning materials for special needs Jewish children. Their Shalom Hand design not only
is like the Vulcan salute, it also spells out "Shalom" (peace) in Hebrew
letters. And it comes in either left or right hand versions! Click here
to go directly to their Blessing Hands jewelry page. (For more on the Salute itself,
see my page The Jewish Origin of the Vulcan Salute.)
Live long and prosper!
Rabbi Yonassan Gershom
Links to more Jewish Star Trek sites
List of Jewish science fiction and fantasy books
Homepage: RabbiGershom.com