Written by Hugo Schwyzer. Hugo is a first-time Jewrotica writer, and a professor of history and gender studies. Follow Hugo on Twitter at @hugoschwyzer.
“Don’t be silly. You’re never going to meet my parents.”
Chana was on top of me still, my cock slowly softening inside her, her long damp curls hanging in my face. Her fingers gently stroked my neck, the transition from frantic coupling to pillow talk already well underway. It was a Sunday afternoon in my tiny Westwood studio apartment. Fellow graduate students at UCLA, Chana and I had been sleeping together for three weeks. We’d been friends for three years, and
I was falling for her. Hard.
“Sweet boy,” she murmured, seeing the hurt flash across my face. “Please don’t make this more than what it is.” I sighed. Chana raised herself on her elbow. “If you fall in love with me,” she said, her voice tender but serious, “we’ll have to stop this. I’ve always been clear with you, right?”
She had been. We’d first met at a new graduate student orientation. I’d been 22, Chana two years older. We were each starting doctoral programs; I was a budding medievalist, she a scholar of late antiquity with an interest in Jewish texts. From a modern Orthodox family in Connecticut, Chana had done her undergrad work at Columbia before a brief and unhappy stint in law school. When I met her that first day at UCLA, she’d just broken off her engagement to a medical student her parents adored and moved out west to pursue her true intellectual passion.
From the moment Chana walked in – late – to the orientation, I was mesmerized. When she sat down next to me, in that hot and crowded Bunche Hall classroom, I could smell the mingled scents of her perfume and her sweat. Her first words to me were an urgent, throaty whisper, her hot breath in my ear: “What did I miss?” Not much, I replied, cursing myself for not having anything cleverer to say. Chana’s extraordinary red hair cascaded down her back, the tight curls glowing in the afternoon light. Our shoulders touched. I barely heard the department chair’s long-winded welcome. At the wine and cheese reception that followed, I felt pangs of jealousy the moment that she chatted with any other man – and a flush of intense pleasure when she turned her attention back to me.
When Chana finally noticed my last name on my nametag (I’d only given her my first) her eyes grew wide with mischief. “A schvitzer? Do you live up to it?” I blushed hot, transfixed by the way her pointed tongue darted out from between her lips. I couldn’t tell if she was flirting with me, but I hoped she was. At the end of the orientation, she tossed that impossibly glorious red mane of hair over her shoulder, locked eyes with me, and said she hoped to see me around sometime. I grunted inarticulately, and berated myself for it all the way home.
I crushed on Chana for the next three years, through the entirety of a brief and very ill-advised starter marriage to a college sweetheart and through Chana’s rather public flings with a couple of fellow graduate students. Finally, in the fall of 1992, we were assigned to the same professor to serve as teaching assistants for a survey course in modern European history. At last, we went out for coffee alone.
I stepped out of my comfort zone to be a part of this. I was glad to open up the topic of sexuality in my community. We are trying to build a safe space to talk about sex. The result I am most happy about coming from this event is that hopefully now my friends know they can come and talk to me, that I can be their ‘safe space’.
While many people fear the “sex talk,” Jewrotica offers an opportunity for writers and audiences to speak about sexuality in a open and safe space. When I attended a Jewrotica reading, I heard stories that reminded me that love takes many forms, and that expressing it is a vital part of who we are as a people.
I love the inclusiveness – there is something for everyone, in and out of the Jewish community.
Jewrotica is something that the community has needed for a long time so that people can actually learn, express and share and have good relationships without having to stumble through life. Check out the site and learn something. Have fun!
Jewrotica is inspiring Jews and erotica with holiness and coolness, and is the pride of progressive Judaism. Jewrotica – awesome!
My opinion on Jewrotica is: It’s sexy. It’s awesome. It’s Judaism to the next level. It’s what we should all be getting into!
Jewrotica was everything I had dreamed of and more: sexy attendees, tantalizing confessions, and well-written literature to boot! More importantly, it empowers us Jews to reach inside and own our sexy selves and heritage!
I attended and participated in last month’s Jewrotica event. The engaging performers and Ayo, our inviting host, inspired the audience to feel like one big community. What a great way to inspire our community to embrace sex as a beautiful thing that can be fun, exciting, sacred, sensual, ridiculous, scary and everything in between!
I had a great time deejaying at the Jewrotica event at Columbia University. The live readings were hilarious, informative, and in some cases, deeply moving. I know that I, along with many of my AEPi fraternity brothers, loved being able to connect our Judaism and our sexuality in a way that made all of us feel comfortable and welcome. I look forward to being a part of this again in the future!
Jewrotica is awesome. It expands the mind and for people who were raised with narrow views on sexuality. Whether you are Jewish or not, or in different sects of Judaism like Orthodox, Conservative or Reform, no matter what your background or where you’re from, Jewrotica gets you to see Judaism and how it relates to sexuality in new ways. I really appreciate Ayo being here and helping us learn different ways to connect with our sexuality.
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