“Get Jewish. Get Sexy.” It is not the most likely of straplines. But as Ayo Oppenheimer, creator of new website Jewrotica, might point out, that is the whole point.
Launched last week, Jewrotica.org covers every inch of the Jewish-sexuality spectrum, from app reviews and confessions of a mikvah go-er to the boldly titled “Fear and Loathing in the Shtetl: How I came out to my Orthodox mother about my non-Jewish boyfriend – A story in four parts”.
Ms Oppenheimer, who grew up in the Yeshiva school system, aims to open lines of communication. She told Heeb magazine: “Judaism purports to be a sex-positive religion, and we don’t believe in Original Sin. We believe in taking things in this world and sanctifying it. It’s not, “Food is Bad,” it’s “Eat in moderation, keep kosher, make a blessing, be mindful.” Sexuality’s supposed to be the same way, yet it somehow got shut out and closed off.”
“There is something uniquely sexy about Jews, and Judaism, and our Jewish community” she said, “this is just providing a forum for people to explore that side of themselves”.