Nimoy was long active in the Jewish community, and could speak and read Yiddish. In 1997, he narrated the documentary "A Life Apart: Hasidism in America", about the various sects of Hasidic Orthodox Jews. In October 2002, Nimoy published "The Shekhina Project", a photographic study exploring the feminine aspect of God's presence, inspired by Kabbalah. Reactions have varied from enthusiastic support to open condemnation. Nimoy said objections to Shekhina did not bother or surprise him, but he smarted at the stridency of the Orthodox protests, and was saddened at the attempt to control thought.