Note about William Shatner’s Jewish upbringing to go under the hammer

Actor William Shatner — famed for his role as Star Trek’s Captain Kirk, commander of the USS Enterprise — was born in Canada in 1931.  Now his memories of his Jewish upbringing are due to go under the auctioneer’s hammer this week in Los Angeles.

 In an undated one-page note — thought likely to have been composed around Chanukah — Shatner recalls his birth in Montreal and his upbringing in a Conservative Jewish family in the Notre Dame de Grace neighbourhood of the city.

His paternal grandfather, Wolfe Schattner, he says, anglicised the family name to Shatner. He writes: “All four of my grandparents were immigrants — they came from the Austria-Hungary and Russian Empires — [the] location of present day Ukraine and Lithuania”. 

Adding memories of a menorah that was “silver and black from use no matter how often it was polished”, and an “indelible” recollection of eating latkes with applesauce, the actor says he recently released a “holiday” album which he had originally thought of titling “Dreidel, Dreidel”, but had changed his mind.

He signs the note “Happy Chanukah, William Shatner/Capt. Kirk Proud Jew”.

Los Angeles auctioneers Nate Sanders opened online bidding this week at $3200.