Ebook: Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices: Sex and Intimacy

In the newest addition to the Jewish Choices, Jewish Voices series, co-editors Elliot Dorff and Danya Ruttenberg have brought together a diverse group of Jews to comment on how Judaism affects their views and actions regarding sex. Contributors range from adult movie actor Ron Jeremy, to renowned feminist scholar Martha Ackelsberg, to noted writer and blogger Esther Kustanowitz, as well as rabbis, doctors, social workers, and activists. They discuss issues of monogamy, honesty, and communication in dating and marriage; testing for and disclosure of STDs; abortion, sex education, sex work, and sexuality. Each volume in this series presents hypothetical cases on specific topics, followed by traditional and contemporary sources. Supplementing these are brief essays, written by contributors of various ages, backgrounds, and viewpoints to provoke lively thought and discussion. These voices from Jewish tradition and today’s Jewish community present us with new questions and perspectives, encouraging us to consider our own moral choices in a new light.

Notable Jewish names in sexuality, religion, and medicine tackle, with remarkable frankness but without novelty, questions of morality and propriety surrounding dating, sexual behavior, and pornography in this academic volume. Four case studies present couples struggling with sexual issues of ambiguous morality. The relevant biblical, rabbinic, and contemporary sources follow, including conservative and reform outlooks and the opinions of such pop culture Jewish figures as Shmuley Boteach and Ruth K. Westheimer. Offering the full gamut of perspectives, from adult entertainment mogul Ron Jeremy to orthodox rabbi Mark Dratch - and covering a broad spectrum of subjects (sex work, ménage à trois, etc.) - the compilation provides many useful recommendations. But some of them seem self-evident: AIDS doctor Jeffrey Burack pleads for full and early disclosure of STDs to prospective partners, and Hanne Blank cautions against prostitution. Despite the fascination often associated with sex, this volume is somewhat dry and predictable. Nevertheless, the contributors do offer meaningful suggestions for honesty and emotional involvement on a subject matter that they believe contemporary society regards as taboo and impersonal.