JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
“You know, halacha (Jewish law) almost never allows contraception use,” an acquaintance boldly asserted to me recently. More than factually erroneous, the statement belied a misguided attempt to fill a void. In the absence of proper education, he had formed a lopsided picture of Judaism that would inform his personal moral code. This is not…
If you visit Dr. Bat Sheva Marcus’s Instagram, which you absolutely should, you will find many informative videos. Videos about the challenges of having sex while breastfeeding. Videos explaining the various causes of pain during intercourse. Videos about the items you should include in your “sex basket.” (Options, among others, include “a vibrator” and “a…
I had sex for the first time at a Jewish youth program. It was a positive experience for me, like having an elective surgery performed by a newly licensed family friend and waking up afterward to find that all your limbs still work. I am sure there are as many people who give up their…
(JTA) — A haredi Orthodox school for girls in Antwerp distanced itself from a document handed out by an employee of the school instructing other teachers not to speak with pupils about sex and evolution. The Gazet van Antwerpen daily reported on the document titled “general instructions” yesterday, prompting the Flemish education minister, Hilde Crevits,…
(Washington Jewish Week via JTA) — Just because Judaism permits sex only within the confines of marriage doesn’t mean Jewish day schools aren’t teaching how to put a condom on or what sexually transmitted diseases are. While abstinence and Jewish law are taught in Jewish day school classes, so are the reproduction system, menstrual cycles…
This past semester, I participated in the , part of the international movement encouraging allies to wear denim in solidarity with sexual assault survivors. Wearing a jean skirt and a sticker informing onlookers to “ask me why denim,” I fielded a lot of genuine inquiries about the origins, purpose, and goals of the Denim Day…
14 is an awkward age. Nothing looks right, nothing feels right and that bedazzled crop top you think is the most stylish thing in your closet will make you gasp in horror five years down the line. But somewhere in all that teenage angst, there is hope for humanity. Exhibit A: 21-year-old Jordan Fridman from…
“His main premise is that young people will tune out educators if their real concerns are left in the shadows.” In the end, that perhaps was the most important line of all in the recent New York Times Magazine article, “Teaching Good Sex,” by Laurie Abraham. The article described a course given by a beloved…
