The male half of the young couple clears his throat and speaks for the rest of us, his tone impassioned and slightly nasal: “We require empirical evidence that something exists before we can believe in it.”
“Faith is what makes you Jewish.” Yarmulke Guy’s rich, musical voice rises ever so slightly. “Empirical evidence goes only so far. To be Jewish, it’s the Torah you must read, not just Philip Roth novels.”
I begin to perspire heavily; my face and neck are fiery. At the words, “Philip Roth,” I feel I might explode.
The man with the white beard protests to Yarmulke Guy, “I’m as Jewish in my bones as the most fanatical Lubavitcher.”
Yarmulke Guy says, “Each day you should read one page of the Talmud. Its spiritual wisdom will connect you to your deepest Jewish roots. You’ll be fulfilled in ways you can’t imagine – ways that this meeting will never provide.” Despite his words, his deep voice is mellow and dreamy, not harsh and didactic. Once more, he smiles right at me, his pale pink lips like a rose about to bloom. I interpret his smile as a private invitation. I imagine his body without clothes, smooth as a statue, tight, muscular, and strong, coiled and ready to strike. I long to touch him, to poise my fingernails on his skin, to draw blood.
I refuse, however, to give in to my desire for Yarmulke Guy, who is, after all, hijacking my meeting and toying with me. Yet the pounding in my chest feels as if an army of hearts beats inside me. Voice shaking, gripping the table’s edge, I announce to the group that the meeting is over. I thank everyone for coming, but say nothing of holding future meetings.
Yarmulke Guy’s eyes burn into me. I can’t bear his gaze any longer. I want to bury myself deep inside him, yet I also want to put him in his place, to show him he can’t just waltz in here and disrupt my meetup. I need to show him that he is not my bashert, that he’s found the wrong woman to tempt.
Yarmulke Guy doesn’t rise with the others. Purposefully, not allowing myself to fail, I walk around the table to where he sits. The fabric of my pants swishes as I move. My high heels make me wobbly. I pull my V-neck sweater lower. I am going to wrest control back from him.
I’m so close to him, I can feel his warm breath on my neck. He rises to meet me, and I grab his hips and push him against the dusty, peeling wall. I reach for the buttons of his shirt and one by one violently pull them open.
“Here’s my spiritual wisdom,” I whisper, rubbing my body roughly against his, then letting my hands smooth his tzitits.
“Here’s my faith,” he says, smiling and laughing gently. He plants his lips on my soft, receptive mouth. Everything in the room falls away from us. My heart is racing, and every nerve ending is tingling. I press against his hard, warm body, and blood roars in my ears. He presses back, and a thin line of sweat glistens on his forehead. The rhythm of our bodies together is sure. The center of my body burns. I have never felt so desired. I run my lips along his cheek. I touch my tongue to his face. He groans deeply. My breath breaks in my throat. I feel flushed and feverish. He digs his fingers in my back. My legs are weak. My body trembles. He grabs my hand, rubs my palm, and then pulls my fingers into his mouth, sucking each finger hard, one at a time. I inhale his fresh scent, and he inhales mine, and I kiss the taste of myself on his lips, knowing, against all odds and reason, I have found my bashert. I will be in a cover band no more, as together he and I create a new Jewish music – a music original and authentic, blending dissonant melodies and inventing new rhythms, to which he and I will dance and dance for many years to come.
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
Celebrating 10 Years & Marking the End of An Amazing Project
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.
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.
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
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!
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!
What an incredible night Jewrotica was!!!! There was this fantastic moment, in a sea of Jews of all sexualities, ages, backgrounds and denominations, that I realized we were all in this together! I hope that there are many more events coming to Austin soon!
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’.
Learning about sex and what’s right and wrong when it comes to sex from a Biblical standpoint was an eye opening experience. I completely enjoyed it and think something like this could be a very cool thing to bring to even high school aged Jewish youth groups.
Bedside Reading with Jewrotica was funny, sexy, and hot all at once. The readings were honest about all kinds of sexuality, but the highlight of the evening was definitely the confessions, written by audience participants. Nobody knew who wrote them, and most were tell-alls that would make your bubbe blush. Unless your bubbe was very, very cool. Then maybe she’d make YOU blush!
I’m into Jewrotica. I went in for my second circumcision.
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