Thank you for your article by Hannah Dreyfus on the importance of pre-marital sex education (“The Joy of Sex Ed,” July 17). It is heartening to see that The Jewish Week recognizes developments in the Orthodox world as we seek to strengthen that most fundamental and challenging cornerstone of Jewish life — an intimate, harmonious and halachically strong marital relationship.
The Orthodox Union has been in the forefront of approaching marital intimacy in an open, sensitive and honest way. Recently, the OU partnered with Yeshiva University and Congregation Kneseth Israel to host a symposium for 125 female kallah teachers and rebbetzins. The wide range of attendees spanned the halachic and cultural spectrum. The OU will extend this multi-dimensional program to our male chatan [groom] teachers and to cities nationwide.
The 23 college campus educator-couples of the OU’s Seif Learning Initiative on Campus (OU-JLIC) have for years helped to prepare engaged couples for healthy expressions of sexual intimacy and family purity. In addition, the OU offers programs on marital harmony to local synagogues and communities at which issues of intimacy, among other topics, are discussed by halachic experts and professionals in the field.
Lay Chair, Department of Synagogue and Community Services
