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Upcoming Presentations

Jewish Perspectives on Sex: Sacred Sex and Sexual Midrash

Sunday, February 25, 2024
10:00 AM
Temple Beth-El
579 No. Nova Road
Ormond Beach, Florida

Bruce and Judy

Presented by Bruce Chalmer, Ph.D. and Judy Alexander, MAED

Duration: 90-120 minutes (including discussion time)

In this three-part presentation, Bruce and Judy talk sex–why it’s good for you and how to make it better–from a Jewish perspective.

In Part I, “Stability, Intimacy, and Sex: A Jewish Perspective” Bruce talks about:

  • The importance of intimacy to a couple, and how sex fits in a couple’s intimate life
  • Why faith—not necessarily religious—is vital for intimacy
  • How Judaism has viewed sex historically
  • Contemporary Jewish practice re: sex

In  Part II, “The Blue Tent: Sexual Midrash,” Judy talks about:

  • What is midrash
  • Sex in the Bible and traditional midrashic texts
  • The idea for the book The Blue Tent: Erotic Tales from the Bible by Laria Zylber (okay, that’s a pseudonym—you can probably guess the author’s actual name)
  • Judy then reads some non-explicit portions of the book.

In Part III, “Sex, Good Sex, and Sacred Sex,” Bruce talks about

  • What turns plain old sex into good sex
  • How to get from good sex to sacred sex

This presentation is intended for adults. It does not contain explicit visual material or explicit erotic text, but does talk in frank terms about sex.

About the presenters:

Bruce Chalmer, Ph.D. is a psychologist specializing in couples therapy, with a private practice via telehealth in Vermont and Florida. He is the author of Reigniting the Spark: Why Stable Couples Lose Intimacy, and How to Get It Back (2020) and It’s Not About Communication! Why Everything You Know About Couples Therapy is Wrong (2023). Yes, he’s Jewish—in the old country the last name was כעלעמער, as in “resident of Chelm,” which probably explains a lot.

Judy Alexander, MAED is a Jewish educator and author who recently retired after 23 years as education director at a synagogue in South Burlington, Vermont. Judy is also an award-winning advertising copywriter, voiceover artist, and playwright.

Together, Bruce and Judy are the hosts of the “Couples Therapy in Seven Words” podcast, with over 130 episodes posted as of this writing.

For more information, or to arrange a presentation:

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