“Live Long And Prosper” Is Actually A Jewish Blessing
Evans/Three Lions/Getty Images
Star Trek is synonymous with the Vulcan salute, which wouldn’t have been possible if not for Leonard Nimoy’s Jewish heritage. Nimoy came up with the gesture when filming the opener for season two and had actually borrowed it from something he witnessed as a kid.
Attending a service at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue with his family, Nimoy peeked when he wasn’t supposed to during a blessing. He noticed the priests had their hands in the now-famous gesture towards the congregation. The gesture represents the Hebrew letter Shin, which also represents God.
