"Jewish Themes in Star Trek" finally in print

[Yonassan Gershom]

It's in print at last!

"Jewish Themes in Star Trek" by Rabbi Yonassan Gershom. Boldly go where no rabbi has gone before! This is my well-researched and reader-friendly journey into Jewish themes, actors, writers, in-jokes and subtexts in the Star Trek Universe. Inspired by a class I taught at the Minneapolis Talmud Torah, the book explores such things as:

The Jewish origin of the Vulcan salute

How Vulcan culture is based on rabbinical Judaism

Who is a Jew" among Trek characters in episodes, movies and the novels

How Talmudic logic helped expand the Star Trek universe

Why Ferengi values are NOT Jewish values -- and much more!

Rumors of this book have been around for over five years -- that's how long my agent and I spent being told by commercial publishers that there is no market. What??? With millions of Jews and millions of Trekkers (and a lot of people who are both!) they've got to be kidding! Of course, publishers are notorious for turning down good books. "The Wizard of Oz" was rejected with "We don't need any new fairy tales..."

The commercial publishers seemed to think this was a joke book -- it was turned down by multiple editors because although I had an agent, and although several editors said it was good writing, they all thought it was "too serious" and "not funny enough" -- they were stereotyping "Jewish" as "humor." (You would be surprised how many people burst into laughter when I mentioned this project. If you did too, I forgive you.) So, that is EXACTLY the answer I give when asked why I self-published this -- that the publishing industry was not able to see beyond stereotypes to the value of a SERIOUS study of Jewish actors, writers, themes etc. in Star Trek. My fellow Jews (and a lot of other minorities) totally "get" that. So do a lot of gentile Trekkers. The book is doing well here.

Rabbi Gershom

P.S. I don't write fiction but I love to read it -- I'll be checking out books by people in this forum:)