A living bridge between the old ways, culture and the modern. His stories are treasures.

My one and only complaint about this interview? It was too, too short! I so wanted to hear more stories from this marvelous man.

Spock quoting Hamlet in Yiddish is the most delightfully surreal thing I have seen in a very long time. How fascinating to hear his story, thank you!

A wonderful, intelligent and erudite man seemingly devoid of ego and hubris. Shalom.

Say not in grief 'he is no more' but in thankfulness that he was. - Hebrew Proverb

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.

I can listen to this man tell stories for hours.....what a blessing he was.

I love listening to Leonard Nimoy talk about his life, fascinating.

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.

"A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP" - Leonard Nimoy's last tweet

It's wonderful hearing him speak Yiddish. That was my first language, since my parents were immigrants from Poland and spoke Yiddish at home.

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

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.

I look into my mother's eyes and,sadly, there I see the love that won't let me become the bird I want to be. Fascinating.

For Leonard Nimoy: Baruch dayan ha'emet For Mr. Spock: Boldly go sir.

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.

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.

Very, very cool. Love hearing him speaking Yiddish.

Long love the Yiddish Language. Live Long and Prosper.

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👸🏻✡️❤️✝️ 🙏🏻

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...

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.)

i love him. plain and simple

I had no idea he spoke Yiddish. Makes me like him even more

He gave me a mind meld once!! Such a sweet guy!

Great guy.I really liked Leonard Nimoy's sense of humor.He will be missed but never forgotten.God Bless you Leonard.

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.

I am profoundly honored to have been alive at the time Leonard Nimoy walked the Earth.

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.

Who still watching Star Trek in 2019???

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.

I don't see Yiddish dying out. Not when it is the first language of the ultra orthodox and they have HUGE families. I hope it will live forever.

I'am amazed to learn about this details. Nimoy, dear God, what a life. Bless him, bless him.

A beautiful, beautiful interview that warms the heart. Thank you immeasurably for this.

A beautiful man in every sense till the end! I will miss him and that exquisite voice! RIP Leonard! LLAP!

They just don’t make them like this anymore. What a good man he was. RIP

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 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.

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.

Yiddishkeit at its best ! tks for sharing !

It is sad that we have lost such a Wise and Wonderful Actor..RIP...Leonard.. Mr. SPOCK...

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

“You have not experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Yiddish”. גרויסאַרטיק/great!

I had a crush on Leonard Nimoy when I was a teenager...loved Star Trek, loved In Search Of. I wish I could have met him.

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.

I wish he could have lived as long as his most beloved character.

Rest in Peace Lenny, We all miss you So very much 🖖🏿 Shalom

The more I learn about Leonard, the more I dig him.

This interview - and this project - are so rich and valuable! A sheynem dank!

Love this so much. What a darling man. Brings back memories of my family too.

Lovely- what a personal, insightful look into his life.

I remember some of the sayings at the end of the interview that my mother used to say to me, made me tear up. My parents spoke Yiddish, I never learned but for a few words here & there. Baruch Dyan Emmet, Alava shalom, Leonard Nimoy, you are missed.

What an amusing man. Plus a lovely insight into his life. Really interesting

An amazing interview I knew he was part Russian never knew he was Jewish and spoke Yedish Thanks so much ♥️

Before the war, 12 million people from the Baltic to the Black sea spoke Yiddish. All gone. Such a terrible loss.

Once in Thailand I was wolking along the sea talking to a man who came from Luxembourg. I asked him what language they speak in Luxembourg. He said they speak Luxemburgian. He explained that the language is an offshoot from a germanic dialect back in the 9th century. I found it very interesting as I knew a language which is also 9th century offshot from a germanic dialect. I offered him to continue conversation in both languages. To our surprise we could understand each other quite well. I told him how much of a surprise will be back at home when I tell I can speak Luxembourgian. He said it would be a shock for his relatives when he tells them he could speak Yiddish (the man was from an old Luxembourg aristocracy). As for the future of Yiddish I remember what Nobel Price recipients Isaak Bashever Singer said when asked about the reason he writes in Yiddish. He said he believes that when messiah comes many jewish yidish speaking people will come to life and what the first question they will ask: Is there a good book to read?

Oh, I was so crazy about him. Always will be.

This makes me weep. My Grandma and Grandpa had a fruit and veggie store on the LES.

May his memory be a blessing.

Just enjoy, this is amazing. Thank You!!!!!!!!! Thank You for all these stories and for Yiddish language!!!!!!!!!!!!! My grands spoke Yiddish!

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!"

So much talent,charm and love for the Idish language and culture so sad he is gone

Interesting and down to earth character despite his stardom.

The part about him paying somebody to speak his native language with him about the eight minute mark really touched me. My native language is Spanish. I was married to a monolingual English speaker for 15 years. There were times when I miss the language so much that I would spend Time at night when everybody was asleep watching Spanish soap operas just to hear it spoken in conversation. I hate Spanish soap operas! But, you miss your language so much that you’ll do anything to touch it again and to use it again in someway. I would absolutely do exactly as he did if I had similar circumstances. Yes I would! May he rest in peace. I am a lifelong fan of his work. Diehard trekie.

RIP Mr. Nimoy.

I miss this guy! Now he is up in the sky, and down here on earth in our hearts, from which he will never part, until we do, and up in the sky we'll be with him, too. May the blessings of character and insight he brought into the world continue.

I am not fluent by any means, but I understood many of the expressions Leonard Nimoy shared. Thank you for this video. It brought back such beautiful and warm memories. How does one explain the richness of the language to anyone who wasn't raised with it? I certainly know that Yiddish is a dying language, yet hearing Mr. Nimoy say it at the end of the video brought tears to my eyes. What other language can evoke such emotions? Bill Pisetsky

This just made my day! Thanks for sharing!

I will always love Leonard Nimoy for all he has done for me as a child growing up in life and helping me to better understand people from all walks of life

What a very intriguing and completely remarkable man. Such a huge inspiration to many. We ❤️ Leonard Nimoy 😁. I wish he was still around especially when we need him the most. Live long, well, and prosper!

I knew Vulcans spoke Yiddish.

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.

RIP and thanks for lightening up some dark hours of mine...

wow so great that this stuff can be preserved and shared

His description of Boston reminds me of my mom's description of South Philadelphia: about two-thirds Italian, the rest mostly Russian Jews, and a smattering of Lebanese and Syrians. That poem really hit home for me ... I don't think Yiddish will die out -- they said the same thing of Hebrew. When people love something, they manage to keep it around.

Such a great interview. I am getting rusty too Mr Nimoy, as I have no one to converse with. His Yiddish was a bit different from the one I heard in my home. Different pronunciations can cause one to strain to try and understand. But it was so wonderful to see he still spoke it unlike people like Kirk Douglas who ran away from it. Wouldn’t it be great to have Mr Nimoy, Paul Muni, Sam Jaffe, Danny Kaye, Month Hall, Edward G Robinson, and Nehemia Persoff all in one room conversing in Yiddish? From what I havre read all were fluent in it.Thank you sir for a great life and not abandoning your roots. Shalom..Maurice H Bank

Rest in Peace, Sir.

Leonard doesn't need Yiddish now. He has something much better. He has perfect heart communication. He has home.

A true Yiddish neshumah. Wonderful. The gesture that he used as Spock, the Vulcan, hand up, palm forward, forefinger and middle finger together, separated from the ring finger and pinky together, thumb out,was Leonard Nimoy's idea. He adapted it from a gesture as a blessing by the Kohanim in Orthodox Jewish souls, invoking the Hebrew letter shin, which suggests many Hebrew words that begin with shin.

Leonard Nimoy, may your spirit live long and prosper!

I always thought Leonard Nimoy was a cool guy! I loved Star Trek, even though I was only 5 when it came out. William Shatner was cool too. Later, I found they were of Jewish heratage.. I like good people, no matter what decent.. Leonard had an excellent narrating voice for, In Search Of. Good show. I really enjoyed this nice interview, and hearing him speak in Yiddish. God rest him. 👍🙏

This is great. My FIL grew up in this area. He went to school with Leonard's brother Melvin and got his hair cut at his father's barber shop. He didn't know them that well but said they were good people.

Wonderful material!!

the yiddish is very easy to understand for a Dutchman..

Love this so much. What a joy. Thank you for sharing! I hope there will be more interviews like this with Mr. Nimoy!

This is a great piece of footage. Wish I'd met him... and chatted in Yiddish.

I love it..and miss hearing the language ..

Absolute delight to listen to his story.

I saw the First episodes in b/w Television in the year 1972.This was the time, when the First episodes of Star Trek- in German „Raumschiff Enterprise“ were broadcasted. I was „fascinated“ Leonard, you were really a Great Man and Actor ! - RIP- we will all follow you ! Greetings from Germany

ALWAYS loved him - even more now discovering he is YIDDISH!!! Great actor was always convincing in his role as Spock...

I quite thoroughly enjoyed that. Thank you for the post.

Leonard Nimoy was the heart of Star Trek he also did many other things but as Mr Spock he will always be remembered R.I.P. On your continuing voyage you will missed greatly the world of Star Trek will never be the same.

This was delightful to watching and hear!!

What a cool guy he was. The world needs more men like him, humble, honest , hard working and respectful.

Poor Leonard: He is gone and I wish we could have told him that Yiddish is very much alive. Not just in Yiddish theatre, but among many Hassidic groups and their children. It is even being revived on University campuses. Yiddish is no where near dead. There are thankfully a growing number of speakers.

he had very long histroy

ru in shlum, love this man. Learnt humanity from him.

I love this video. We need more videos like this to stay in touch with the past. ♥️

Blessed Be, Leonard Nimoy

The most coherent interview of Leonard Nemoy ever.