Think Jewish. Think naughty. Think 2015.
That’s right. Jewish boys need no longer be nebbish objects of ridicule.
The New Year promises the release of the long-awaited Naughty Jewish Boys calendar, developed by artist and photographer Duncan Pflaster.
Pflaster, 40, who is proudly gay and not Jewish himself, hopes the racy calendar will continue to debunk the nerdy Jewish guy stereotype, perpetuated by the “Nice Jewish Guys” trademark.
“Jewish women too often see their men as nice nebbishy guys who will bring home a paycheck,” said Pflaster in a 2014 interview with the Jewish Week. “They’d like to be seen as more of a sexual being. There’s definitely a lot of very sexy Jewish guys out there.”
And there sure are. The 2015 calendars feature sexy men of Jewish descent in various stages of undress. Two different calendars will be released: one with shirtless men still wearing underwear, and one with men in their birthday suits alone.
“We were overwhelmed with sexy models who lined up to pose, and soon the idea expanded to two calendars: One has men shirtless and in their underwear, and one extra-naughty, not-for-the-synagogue edition has some brave dudes wearing nothing but a yarmulke and a smile,” Pflaster said.
The turnout for the calendar photo shoot exceeded all expectations.
“I posted an ad on Craigslist to see if any models might be interested,” Pflaster said, “and to my surprise, the ad went viral in a week!”
The project has raised provocative questions about Jewish masculinity and sexuality, Pflaster said. Some of the models who posed for the 2015 calendar described the experience as a “dream that they never thought would come true.”
"Many of the men who posed said it was something they'd always wanted to do, but thought they wouldn't be considered," said Pflaster.
For the calendar, Pflaster said, “Anybody who has some sort of sexual magnetism is fine. One guy is a little older and a little hairier. There’s one guy who’s in his 20s. I’m hoping for a variety of body types. Hairy and chubby, I’m all about that.”
The calendars, which run December 2014-January 2016, are now available for purchase, through the online publishing platform Lulu.com (an extra Hanukkah was included keeping presents in mind). The regular calendar is available on naughtyjewishboys.com and through Lulu’s main website, but the extra-naughty can only be had using the direct link on naughtyjewishboys.com. Line up, ladies.
Support the New York Jewish Week
Our nonprofit newsroom depends on readers like you. Make a donation now to support independent Jewish journalism in New York.
editor@jewishweek.org
The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
