On the plane to Rome I read an article in the NY Times about sex and religious Jews: ‘There are also pockets, like the Upper West Side of Manhattan, where there are many older singles, said David Pelcovitz, professor of education and psychology at Yeshiva University, who spoke at a two-session forum in January at a synagogue there, Congregation Ohab Zedek, that drew some 200 people.
“We heard some of the frustrations and challenges of the Modern Orthodox single community, in terms of their sexuality,” Professor Pelcovitz said. “People were really happy that it was being addressed. They’re single for longer periods of time, and sexual human beings, yet living under ethical guidelines that don’t allow them to engage it.”’ It’s not only within religious communities that people live a sexless life. And not only singles live without sex. My novel “The Asylum Seeker” started basically with the title and the idea of the sexless marriage.