This Week
Community Consensus
Compromise moves Leonard Nimoy talk on his provocative
new book out of JCC Book Fair venue.
BILL CARROLL
Special to the Jewish News
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit, praised the "cool and
calm leadership of the community
in resolving a potentially explosive
situation. "Having Mr. Nimoy
appear with his book at the JCC
Book Fair was viewed as
offensive to the community
in general — not individ-
ual Jewish factions. And I
applaud our leaders, who
worked hard to address the
issues and come to an excellent
conclusion."
Nimoy's study of the feminine
aspect of God was published last
month with 55 duo-tone images
of women in 94 pages (Umbrage
Editions; $39.95). Accompanied
by quotes from Jewish scholars,
the photos are mostly of models,
including a cover shot of one in a
sheer wrap with tefillin around her
arm. There's one photo of Nimoy's
Leonard Nimoy
wife of 14 years, actress Susan Bay
— from the neck up.
mentions in People magazine and
Embarking on a 26-city promotion-
other national publications. It has
al tour of Jewish book fairs, syna-
stirred the emotions of a broad spec-
gogues and federations, Nimoy has
trum of rabbis and lay leaders in the
created dissent only in Seattle and
Detroit Jewish community, resulting
Detroit, according to his publicist. In
in the Oct. 23 meeting at the Max
Seattle, he withdrew from a Jewish
M. Fisher Federation Building in
Federation of Greater Seattle fund-
1 ewish actor Leonard Nimoy,
the pointy-eared alien "Mr.
Spock" in the popular Star
Trek science-fiction tele-
vision series of the 1960s, was
planning to land his new
Shekhina "space ship" at the
Jewish Community Center's
51st Annual Book Fair, but brew-
ing controversy has diverted him to a
new location under new sponsorship.
Nimoy will appear instead at 8:15
p.m. Thursday, Nov. 14, at Temple Shir
Shalom in West Bloomfield.
Nimoy, 71, who became famous as
the Vulcan alien, then drew on his
observant roots as he became a deeply
religious photographer, author and poet,
will make a slide presentation and dis-
play his controversial new book,
Shekhina. It is a collection of black-and-
white photographs of nude or semi-
nude women, many wearing taut and
tefillin.
The book's content sparked a heated
artistic debate among leaders in the
Detroit Jewish community. As a result,
instead of the JCC, the sponsor of
Nimoy's local appearance will be the
National Foundation for
Jewish Culture. It was
founded 41 years ago to
enrich the quality of Jewish
life in America through the
arts and humanities.
David Sorkin, JCC execu-
tive director, said the con-
sensus reached by lay, profes-
sional and rabbinic represen-
404
tatives — and supported by
Rabbi Reuven
Rabbi Paul
Rabbi Joseph
the Jewish Federation of
Spolter
Yedwab
Krakoff
Metropolitan Detroit — was
a tribute to the "renewed zeal
of community leaders who, .
raising dinner following local concern
when potentially divisive situations like
about his book's explicit photography
this arise, get together for discussion,
and use of sacred Jewish objects.
reach a consensus and adjudicate the
issues. In this case, the decision of the
rabbis and other leaders was unani-
Diffusing The Situation
mous.
The
controversy has prompted some
Lawrence Jackier, president of the
joking references to Shekhina on
NBC-TV's Saturday Night Live and
Related editorial: page 37
13
11/1
2002
24
joined in a dialogue to deter-
mine how to present Mr.
Nimoy in a way that respected
a wide range of sensibilities in
the community," stated a JCC
news release.
Rabbi Paul Yedwab of Temple
Israel, a Reform synagogue,
called it a "Solomonic compro-
mise." He said he is "proud
how local leaders met the issue
head on and handled the mat-
ter," in turn "affirming the
rights" of Nimoy.
As president of the Michigan
Board of Rabbis, Rabbi
Yedwab brought up the matter
at the 35-member board's regu-
lar meeting Oct. 24. The board
affirmed the JCC's decision to
seek an alternative site under
new sponsorship after hearing
from Sorkin and JCC Vice
President Hannan Lis.
"We addressed the sensitivity
of having this book available at
a Jewish book fair, then made a
responsible decision to move it else-
where and maintain the integrity of
the Book Fair and hopefully keep it
as a successful enterprise," Lis said.
"And we wanted to be fair to Mr.
Nimoy, who is a very religious Jew."
Lis said Nimoy "supports
Israel and does a lot of
fund-raising around the
country."
The local controversy has
somewhat surprised Nimoy's
publicist, Jill Siegel of
Orange, N.J.
Siegel said she was told
Book Fair officials were
Lawrence
David
Hannan
changing the venue for Mr.
Jackier
Sorkin
Lis
Nimoy's appearance into a
larger place to accommodate
an expected big crowd.
Bloomfield Township where the con-
"Then they also wanted a list of
sensus was reached.
the slides in his presentation, so I
"The decision to change the venue
had a feeling they were uncomfort-
and sponsorship arose after strong
able with the book's photos. I told
concerns were raised by the commu-
them he would have to show all of
nity about the nature of Mr. Nimoy's
them ... we certainly wouldn't agree
book and photographs ... and lay and to censorship of the presentation."
professional community leaders,
Siegel said Nimoy is amenable to the
along with members of the rabbinate, change in format and sponsorship and
.