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Israeli Orthodox Schools to Start Sex Ed

In all its ‘dullness’

by
Marc Tracy
December 11, 2009

Modern Orthodox high schools in Israel are going to begin teaching sex education to students. Science will be taught alongside religion, and topics to be covered include anatomy, desire, and even homosexuality—contraception is optional (to be taught, that is). We can’t help but see this as a step in the right direction, but just as students’ teachers should talk about the things the students are thinking about anyway, if might help if they also thought about those things the way the students do. We’re looking at you, educational director Rabbi Yehuda Felix. “Young people today must know about this dull period that starts at 12 and goes on, according to some opinions, until 35 or 40,” Felix said. Felix should know better: that “dull” period frequently extends at least until you’re 45. Then things get exciting.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.