From ‘Spock’ greetings to chopstick Torah pointers, synagogues are getting creative amid the coronavirus outbreak

JTA ^ | MARCH 10, 2020 | JOSEFIN DOLSTEN

[LouieFisk]

“Supposedly, if you look close at its use in the original ST series, you can see that some actors used tape or something because they had such difficulty separating their fingers properly.”
—
Yeah, I thought the old Vulcan Lady was supposed to have done that, the link I found (above) says she held her fingers with the other hand.
Related trivia: Nimoy came up with the Vulcan nerve pinch, also - because he thought punching someone out would look stupid.

[real saxophonist]

One of Nimoy's last roles was in the series 'Fringe'. I thought Anna Torv's impersonation of him was Spot-On.

[LouieFisk]

Have no idea what that is, there’s no tv series - broadcast.cable/online that I really watch. The ST-TOS parodies are fun, tho. The classic is the old SNL one, of course:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx0xOgFDXFg

Spent a lot of time watching & rewatching reruns of TOS on TV back in the day - didn’t pay it much attention in it’s live run, tho, then got hooked on the reruns (like a lot of fans).

[FreedomPoster]

I like the Wuhan shake:

https://youtu.be/CtdtbML7vmk

[real saxophonist]

Well, Fringe was a paranormal/SciFi type show, pretty good.

Any Star Trek fan MUST see Star Trek Continues!

[pepsi_junkie]

Well, Fringe was a paranormal/SciFi type show, pretty good.

Until the last season. It underwent the "JJ Abrams planted all kinds of intriguing mysterious seeds but has no idea how to close them so he just completely changes the series and pretends they never happened in what will be a crappy final season" trauma. Same thing he did to 'Lost' and 'Alias'.

[real saxophonist]

Yeah.

[EinNYC]

We had a great time hearing the reading of the Megillah during the evening service. Someone was playing the trombone on the men's side, every time the evil villain Haman's name was mentioned. I blew a coach's whistle. Other people shook boxes of cereal, shook noisemakers called gregors, or just booed. Virtually everyone wore a costume, as is customary. This year, I was a clownfish.

Coronavirus was not mentioned, nor did it seem to play any role. Bathrooms were well equipped with soap and paper towels, and there were pamphlets on a table near the door about coronavirus precautions. That's about it.

[nickcarraway]

Sounds like a great time.

[nickcarraway]

I like the trombone and whistle idea. It's like Peter and the Wolf for Esther.

[EinNYC]

I never knew that. Where does it come from, does it symbolize anything particular?

Leonard Nimoy was of the tribe of Kohanim, the priestly class descended from Aaron, the High Priest. Those members of a synagogue who are Kohanim assemble in front of the congregation on certain important holidays to bless the congregation with the special blessings given only by Kohanim. While doing so, they spread their fingers in the "Spock" way at the ends of their outreached hands. That gesture was where Nimoy got his inspiration for the "Spock" hand gesture.

This is what the Kohanim must have looked like during the time of the Temple. Look at the men in the back row, making the gesture of the priestly blessing;

[Zionist Conspirator]

Of course you can’t use a computer on Shabbat, but never mind.

[Jamestown1630]

Thank you, E. That’s fascinating. I will show husband and brother, who I’m sure don’t know this and are also Nimoy fans.