Written by Shoshana Martyniak. Shosh, a first-time Jewrotica writer, spends her days rewriting and editing the words of her American shtetl. Apparently, she’s got some other ideas in her head…
Every morning no matter the length of the lines in the cage-like tunnels at the Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, while other Palestinians minimize the possessions in the hope they will move through the line faster, I’m stuffing my pockets. It’s pure idiocy, I realize. I’m that guy that holds people up. Of course, it’s worse than that. I’m that guy that grew up two floors down from you in a crowded apartment whose mother sits in your mother’s apartment each Tuesday to share Turkish coffee, gossip, and a hope that grumbly husbands might stay out just a little longer. You know me. You know I’m smart. You know I’m destined for life beyond these walls. And yet, every day, I can’t seem to empty my pockets fast enough.
The truth is, none of them actually know me. Yes, I have a life beyond these walls. Yes, I still live with my family in Ramallah. But if they knew me, they’d know my papers are sometimes at the bottom of my bag and my pockets are filled with too many coins, too many sets of keys, in the hopes that he’ll bark orders in American English from behind the glass.
“Faster.”
His hair is shaved; his eyes hidden behind dark aviator sunglasses, his face stuck in a constant state of annoyance, which I attribute to the crappy job and not a weakness in his personality. Once in a great while, he won’t be wearing his glasses, and all I can see are pale blue eyes against olive skin. Skin like mine. Eyes like the Mediterranean: blue with flecks of white salt. I drink in his eyes from behind my cage, from behind the line. I audibly sigh. The hijab-covered head in front of me twists to shoot me a look. I know she can’t hear my thoughts, but I can’t help but worry.
Every week is the same. My life is the same. My university studies are the same. The lines inside the check-point cage are the same. Then one day, he’s gone. No more eyes. No more English. He’s replaced by some quiet guy with curls and a beard who never yells in English and hardly ever looks up. Soon, my pockets get lighter and my papers magically appear in my hands.
“Look,” Madaam al-Kanani from apartment 24 says with a smirk, “Basir is learning to organize himself.”
She pauses, smirks again, and says to the crowd of oh-too-familiar faces, “Or maybe, khawaaja, prays he doesn’t need papers.”
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
The Jewrotica event “Evening of Jewrotica: Bedside Reading” was awesome. As Master of Confessions, I got to read the deepest, darkest secrets of people in the room out loud… It was scintillating, titillating, and – yes – even educational!
The people behind Jewrotica are quite quality! I have confidence that any project these folks take on will be equally quality.
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!
You may not tell your mom that you’re going to a live Jewrotica reading (or whatever clever name you will dub these events) but you will tell your friends. However, both would be jealous if they find out that they missed it. I think it will only be a matter of time before Jewrotica helps us reclaim the term “Dirty Jew” the way rap music has done for “The ‘N’ Word.” I know I am now proud to be a Dirty Jew!
I’m so glad that Jewrotica is represented here at Jewlicious! It’s bringing voices that need to be heard in the Jewish discussion and Jewish climate environment.
At Jewrotica’s Evening of Bedside Readings, students declaimed monologues on sexual encounters that had a Jewish twist. At Columbia/Barnard Hillel, the speakers pushed their own boundaries by performing a range of explicit narratives that challenged how the audience thought of the relationship to Judaism and sex. During the speakers’ preparation, the arguments about which narratives would be appropriate forced students to take a stand and voice their opinion on their own beliefs about Judaism an… Read more
Such an amazing experience! The Sarah Lawrence Jewrotica workshop was more than I could have ever expected – a comfortable, safe, sultry environment where participants clearly felt good about sharing or listening to each other’s intimate experiences and relating them to sexy stories from the Torah. From the moment the workshop began, Ayo had a sweet presence that was kinetic and spread around the room; her storytelling abilities had everyone enraptured and made the conversation topics relata… Read more
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!
I’m into Jewrotica. I went in for my second circumcision.
I love the inclusiveness – there is something for everyone, in and out of the Jewish community.
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