American Jewish Music From the Milken Archive With Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Nimoy got a gig doing 13 two-hour episodes on WFMT Radio Network stations and XM Satellite Radio. During these episodes, Nimoy will boldly go into the Milken Archive of Jewish American Music and explore both sacred and secular Jewish music.

“I grew up speaking Yiddish at home in Boston and hearing this music during services at synagogue and at social events where my uncle and four cousins played klezmer music,” Nimoy said in a statement Friday. “This program and this music makes me feel very much at home.

The Milken Archive was created by Lowell Milken, chairman of the Milken Family Foundation, in 1990. The Milken Family Foundation itself was endowed by Lowell’s brother Michael, who was the Junk Bond King of Wall Street until he got busted for securities violations by the SEC in 1989. He pled guilty to to securities fraud after the government dropped the more serious charge of insider trading. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison (later reduced to 2 years plus 3 years probation) and fined $600 million. However, the bulk of his fortune has remained intact and he did his time only to co-found the Milken Family Foundation.

The Milken Family Foundation could hardly have chosen anyone better to discuss Jewish music. Nimoy is not just an actor, but an accomplished musical artist as well. I wonder if he will be playing any of his own music… he does a particularly awful inspired version of If I Had a Hammer… Also, by ALL MEANS, do not miss this classic video of Nimoy and a cohort of Spock eared babes performing the Ballad of Bilbo Baggins. Seriously. You gotta check it out. Just trust me on this ok? Have I ever let you down?

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About the author

ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem with his wife, newborn daughter and toddler son. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.

5 Comments

  • I can see that you are a Nimoy fan, and he may indeed be musically talented, but please don’t extol him as a representative of the Jews. You should know that after being married to a Jewish woman for over 25 years, he divorced her and married a non-Jew. Don’t know if she converted a la Kate Capshaw, though.

  • Well, you know us computer geeks. We love all things Star Trek. I’m into the whole thing, Star Trek figurines, commemorative plates, conventions, getting freaky with women dressed to look like Captain Janeway… you know, the usual trekkie thing.

    Oh no, wait a minute. That wasn’t me. That was someone else… please read the post again and note that I am totally making fun of Leonard Nimoy. I urge you to see the video i linked to as well.

  • Thanks for the link to the video – that was hilarious. I’ll be sure to tune in to XM Satellite Radio to hear Mr. Nimoy’s show. Not.

  • theres a new song out there by MBD for Oorah Kiruv Rechokim- its a great song that would prob be a hit! listen out for it!