We are excited to announce the long-awaited Jewrotica’s Sexiest Rabbis of 2013. This list stirred up a great deal of controversy over the past two and a half months with some saying that we “went too far” and others challenging that we “hadn’t gone far enough.” Then of course there were our usual fans rooting us on.

Regardless, over the past ten weeks we received over 150 beautiful, inspiring and thoughtfully-written nominations from students, congregants, community members and families all over the world – each of whom passionately advocated for their rabbi to make the list. The nominations spanned age, gender, country, ethnicity, relationship status and denomination, with a roughly even number of rabbis nominated from each ‘stream of Judaism’ and an approximately 60-40 divide between male and female rabbis (which makes some sense given that Orthodox Judaism was well-represented in the nomination pool).

I wish that we could present all 150+ rabbis to you, but since that amount of content would be unwieldy for readers, we needed to make some tough choices. Our all-star selection committee included Special Projects liaison and committee chair Shayna Abramson who coordinated the process, founding member, contributor and webmaster David Abitbol of Jewlicious fame, loyal and dedicated managing editor Emma Morris and regular contributor “Dirty Di,” with input from our soon-to-be-newest team member Aviv Ariel and yours truly.

We chose to spotlight Jewrotica’s Ten Sexiest Rabbis (now that is one smokin’ minyan…) with an additional 21 rabbis below being selected for the People’s Choice categories. But yes, let’s first present the unranked top 10 cadre selected for our Annual 2013 Sexy Rabbis List!

Click on the + for details

Please note. None of the Rabbis listed here were contacted prior to their inclusion. Being nominated or included herein does not mean that the Rabbis included approve of or endorse Jewrotica or any of its contents.

The People’s choice categories are as follows:

** Delicious Dvar Torah… Words That Stimulate Your Senses **

The nominees are:

Rabbi Ronnie Cahana Rabbi Ronnie Cahana of Congregation Beth-El overcame a severe brain-stem stroke to continue to share his words of wisdom with the world, through blinking and mouthing each letter. His dvar Torahs, as well as poetry and other works, are published on his blog, and he continues to inspire. “It would be so easy to give up,” his nominator says, but “Rabbi Cahana keeps at it and that is the most badass thing ever!”

http://rabbicahana.com of Congregation Beth-El overcame a severe brain-stem stroke to continue to share his words of wisdom with the world, through blinking and mouthing each letter. His dvar Torahs, as well as poetry and other works, are published on his blog, and he continues to inspire. “It would be so easy to give up,” his nominator says, but “Rabbi Cahana keeps at it and that is the most badass thing ever!” Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie turns people on with his dvar Torahs that are not just speeches, but rather, stories – which is no surprise, given his founding of the Storahtelling Project and now the Lab Shul. And for those who dig girl-on-girl action, there’s always his rabbinic take on “Sarah Palin/Lady Gaga make out sessions on Purim.”

http://labshul.org

http://www.storahtelling.org Dig a presentation on Sex and Adultery on Kol Nidre? Then you’ve found the rabbi for you.turns people on with his dvar Torahs that are not just speeches, but rather, stories – which is no surprise, given his founding of the Storahtelling Project and now the Lab Shul. And for those who dig girl-on-girl action, there’s always his rabbinic take on “Sarah Palin/Lady Gaga make out sessions on Purim.” Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg, author of “Surprised By God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion”, and editor of a book of “The Passionate Torah: Sex and Judaism”, uses the power of her words to make Torah sexy, and appeals to the inner librarian fetish of nerds everywhere. A graduate of the Ziegler School and a prolific writer and mentor, she currently lives with her family in Chicago.

http://danyaruttenberg.net , author of “Surprised By God: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Religion”, and editor of a book of “The Passionate Torah: Sex and Judaism”, uses the power of her words to make Torah sexy, and appeals to the inner librarian fetish of nerds everywhere. A graduate of the Ziegler School and a prolific writer and mentor, she currently lives with her family in Chicago. Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo is one of the leading Jewish thinkers of this era. His lectures and Dvar Torahs are not just breathtaking in their intelectual scope and spiritual reverence, but they “show a fearless willingness to tackle the sacred idols of contemporary Jewish practice and a fierce reverence for God, man and Halacha

Cardozo Academy and Weekly Musings is one of the leading Jewish thinkers of this era. His lectures and Dvar Torahs are not just breathtaking in their intelectual scope and spiritual reverence, but they “show a fearless willingness to tackle the sacred idols of contemporary Jewish practice and a fierce reverence for God, man and. If being fierce and fearless makes one a badass then Rabbi Cardozo is like the Chuck Norris of present day Rabbis.” Rabbi Cardozo is the founder and Dean of the David Cardozo Academy, the Aron and Betsy Spijer Institute. The Institute is a think tank where rabbis, educators and professors under Rabbi Cardozo’s guidance try to lay the foundations of a new approach to Judaism based on the classical sources. Rabbi Lisa Edwards Rabbi Lisa Edwards of Beth Chayim Chadashim uses both her hot tallit-ot collection and her linguistic wisdom as a PhD in English Literature to make Torah sexy. Her spiritual work with Jews of all denominations, as well as her interfaith work, make her a star. In the words of one congregant, “Rabbi Lisa can spin a drash and take you places in a sermon such that your mind is flashing new neuronal connections. No possibility of falling asleep in Rabbi Lisa’s LGBTQ-friendly shul”.

http://www.bcc-la.org/about/clergy-and-staff/ of Beth Chayim Chadashim uses both her hot tallit-ot collection and her linguistic wisdom as a PhD in English Literature to make Torah sexy. Her spiritual work with Jews of all denominations, as well as her interfaith work, make her a star. In the words of one congregant, “Rabbi Lisa can spin a drash and take you places in a sermon such that your mind is flashing new neuronal connections. No possibility of falling asleep in Rabbi Lisa’s LGBTQ-friendly shul”. Rabbi Menachem Creditor Rabbi Menachem Creditor, of Congregation Netivot Shalom, uses his “very sexy brains” to empower others, with a breadth of knowledge that spans sci-fi, philosophy, modern culture, and Jewish literature. He is a tireless activist on Gun Violence, LGBT inclusion, interfaith collaboration, girls’/women’s empowerment, domestic violence, hunger – and all this is in his spare time. “RC has the smoothest, most soulful voice I have ever heard. His last album, “Within”, says it all and sometimes it’s just too much, but I like it and come back for more.” Menachem is a frequent Huffington Post contributor, and is heavily involved in the “Tov Lehodot” online siddur project.

http://rabbicreditor.blogspot.com/?m=1

http://netivotshalom.org/rabbi , of Congregation Netivot Shalom, uses his “very sexy brains” to empower others, with a breadth of knowledge that spans sci-fi, philosophy, modern culture, and Jewish literature. He is a tireless activist on Gun Violence, LGBT inclusion, interfaith collaboration, girls’/women’s empowerment, domestic violence, hunger – and all this is in his spare time. “RC has the smoothest, most soulful voice I have ever heard. His last album, “Within”, says it all and sometimes it’s just too much, but I like it and come back for more.” Menachem is a frequent Huffington Post contributor, and is heavily involved in the “Tov Lehodot” online siddur project. Rabbi David Ingber Rabbi David Ingber, of Romemu, endeavors to “give Jews prayer experiences as uplifting and unique as an orgasm”. Raised Modern Orthodox, Rabbi Ingber contributed to the start of “Post-Modern Judaism” with his founding Romemu in NYC: a community designed to meet the need for meaningful and traditional yet innovative Jewish ritual experiences. “Romemu,” writes the nominator, “strives to integrate the Jewish needs of the mind, body, and soul. What could be hotter than a man who tries to meet all of your needs?”

http://romemu.org/ , of Romemu, endeavors to “give Jews prayer experiences as uplifting and unique as an orgasm”. Raised Modern Orthodox, Rabbi Ingber contributed to the start of “Post-Modern Judaism” with his founding Romemu in NYC: a community designed to meet the need for meaningful and traditional yet innovative Jewish ritual experiences. “Romemu,” writes the nominator, “strives to integrate the Jewish needs of the mind, body, and soul. What could be hotter than a man who tries to meet all of your needs?”

Please vote below:

Delicious Dvar Torah: Words That Stimulate Your Senses Rabbi Ronnie Cahana (25%, 229 Votes)

Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo (19%, 178 Votes)

Rabbi Menachem Creditor (17%, 156 Votes)

Rabbi David Ingber (12%, 115 Votes)

Rabbi Amichai Lau Lavie (12%, 109 Votes)

Rabbi Lisa Edwards (8%, 72 Votes)

Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg (8%, 71 Votes) Total Voters: 779

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** Sexiest Activist: Rabbis Tackling Society’s Wrongs And Making Them Right **

Please vote below:

Sexiest Activist: Rabbis Tackling Society's Wrongs And Making Them Right Rabbi Felipe Goodman (33%, 261 Votes)

Rabbi Robert Saks (20%, 157 Votes)

Rabbi Margie Klein Ronkin (19%, 156 Votes)

Rabbi Melissa Simon (16%, 128 Votes)

Rabbi Mark Dratch (6%, 45 Votes)

Rabbi Daniel Coleman (4%, 29 Votes)

Rabbi Ron Yosef (3%, 27 Votes) Total Voters: 803

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** Hottest Date: At The End Of Friday Night Services, Who Do You Want To Go Home With…For A Shabbat Meal? 🙂 **

Please vote below:

Hottest Date: At The End Of Friday Night Services, Who Do You Want To Go Home With… For A Shabbat Meal? 🙂 Rabbi Adam Greenwald (32%, 412 Votes)

Rabbi BV (21%, 277 Votes)

Rabbi Malka Packer (21%, 274 Votes)

Rabbi Dan Horwitz (8%, 108 Votes)

Rabbi Ari Isenberg (8%, 108 Votes)

Rabbi Melinda Bernstein (4%, 56 Votes)

Redacted (4%, 55 Votes) Total Voters: 1,290

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The original People’s Choice list included six rabbis in each category, totaling a rather symbolic 18 (chai), but I couldn’t resist sneaking one more nominee into each field at the last moment, so just think of it as chai… plus one in each category for good luck! The People’s Choice categories will be open until Tu B’Shvat (Thursday, January 16th), and the top candidates will be gifted free Jewrotica swag and invited for exclusive interviews to be featured on Jewrotica.org!

A last note: This list is exceedingly respectful with the top ten intentionally presented in an unranked list, but is also meant to be fun and playful. We hope that rabbis will be pleased to be acknowledged on the list, but we do not purport that this is an authoritative, exhaustive and all-inclusive list of all the fabulous and sexy rabbis out there. We certainly missed some of you, and that is what next year and comments are for. Feel free to let us know if we’ve missed a particularly inspiring, sexy rabbi!

Stay tuned for in-depth interviews and spotlights with selected rabbis over the course of the coming year and keep your fingers crossed for that Sexy Rabbis calendar. We’ll see how much resistance comes our way, but let’s just say that the seed has been planted.

Stay in touch, share your ideas and get involved with Jewrotica by connecting with us on Facebook and Twitter. For press interviews and articles on the Sexiest Rabbis of 2013, please contact Special Projects Liaison Shayna Abramson (shayna@jewrotica.org), Managing Editor Emma Morris (emma@jewrotica.org) and Founding Member, Contributor and Webmaster David Abitbol (david@jewrotica.org)

Thanks as always for your support, and enjoy!

Light and Love,