William Shatner Experienced Childhood Anti-Semitism

There was no more iconic actor for a lot of your parents than William Shatner. As the fabled Captain Kirk in Star Trek, Shatner provided a mixture of father figure and military iconoclast. Frequently skirting the edges of the ‘Prime Directive’ (that was a law that forbid the infiltration or influence of humans on alien races), Shatner’s character provided not only entertainment, but questioned modern views of morality, political influence and authoritarianism. Yeah, we were fans – and if you have a chance, check out Shatner’s career as he took on varied roles. Little did we know that his experience with anti-Semitism as a child would shape his interpretations as an actor.

Shatner, in an article in The Jerusalem Post, said “kids would pick fights with him every day because he is Jewish”. He developed the nickname “Toughie” because of it all.

“Kids would all crowd around, yelling, ‘Fight! Fight! Fight!’”

Shatner, 87, said he continued to experience antisemitism at McGill University, which he says only allowed in a quota of Jewish students.

“How I made it through the quota, I don’t know,” he recalled.

The actor also spoke about how he related to his Jewish identity, saying that though his parents were religious and brought him to synagogue every Shabbat, he feels more connected to Jewish culture than religious observance. Shatner’s overview of Judaism, and his relationship to it has become more common during these turbulent political times.

“There’s a value system,” he answered, when asked about how he relates to being culturally Jewish. “Giving to people. Being generous and charitable. Learning is an important aspect of being Jewish and connection with other Jewish people. There are so few, so it helps that everyone helps each other.”

We are trying to reach out to Mr. Shatner for a more complete interview. Keep checking back to The Dreidel.

To learn more about William Shatner, check out his Wikipedia page.