Everyone is a Cohen on Capitol Hill

Many Jews know that Leonard Nimoy’s famous Vulcan hand salute from “Star Trek” was inspired by the traditional gesture of blessing by Kohanim. CNN recently reported that House Democrats were advised by medical staff to use the “live long and prosper” greeting as a way to avoid shaking hands. Nimoy wrote in his autobiography that “when I searched my imagination for an appropriate gesture to represent the peace-loving Vulcans, the Kohanim’s symbol of blessing came to mind.”

Deli by deli

Haim is promoting its new album by performing in delicatessens nationwide. The “Haim Deli Tour” is scheduled to take the sister act of Danielle, Este and Alana Haim to New York, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles. It’s a tribute to their first-ever show together as a band, at the famous Canter’s deli in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles. The tour launched March 10 at Sarge’s Delicatessen & Diner in New York City, where a few lucky fans got invited to experience a five-song, mostly acoustic set in a very small setting.

Polanski award draws ire in France

Roman Polanski has won a César, an award known as the French Oscar, for best director for his 2019 film “J’accuse” (titled “An Officer and a Spy” for U.S. screenings). The film tells the story of Alfred Dreyfus, the French Jewish officer wrongly imprisoned for treason at the end of the 19th century after a notorious trial that was the talk of Europe at that time. But the handing out of the award was met with protests against Polanski, who is still wanted in the U.S. after admitting to the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl in 1978. He did not attend the ceremony “to protect himself,” AFP reported.

Goldberg still going strong

Pro wrestler Bill Goldberg, 53, was in Saudi Arabia recently for the WWE Super ShowDown, where he won the WWE’s “Universal Championship” belt by defeating The Fiend. Golberg is a former NFL player who was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. In a 2004 interview with the San Diego Jewish Journal, he said wrestling under the moniker “Goldberg” was meaningful: “I’m very proud of my tradition. It doesn’t mean I have to read the Torah every day, but hell, I wrestled in front of millions of people and called myself by my real name. That’s a testament to myself that I’m proud of.”

New film strikes thoughtful tone

In the new film “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” a 17-year-old girl must travel to New York to get an abortion. Director Eliza Hittman has described the film as a “poetic odyssey” that is also true to the real inanities and indignities that the teen protagonist must face, as she and her best friend make their way through the system.

Amharic pop a first for Israel

Remember Eden Alene? Her Eurovision competition song is out and it is making a statement. “Feker Libi” is a straight-up dance tune, but it’s also a multilingual song with lyrics in Amharic, Arabic, English and Hebrew. Alene is the first Israeli of Ethiopian descent to represent the country in the popular music competition taking place in May.

Call your mother, Barry

Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the “Men in Black” films and “The Addams Family,” has written an autobiography called “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother,” based on an incident in which that particular message was sounded over the PA in Madison Square Garden when the young Sonnenfeld was attending a Jimi Hendrix concert. He writes about his personal life and work in films, as well as his ongoing conversation with Larry David over who is more neurotic.