09:00 am
Oy La La
As Barack Obama arrives in Israel, a new controversy has broken out there — one that has absolutely nothing to do with him, John McCain, or even the Middle East peace process.
It’s all about babes. And lobsters.
The latest issue of Heeb, which describes itself as “a take-no-prisoners zine for the plugged-in and preached-out,” is featuring “the Ladies of 69,” which the magazine describes as the “first ever Jewish swimsuit calendar.” Now before you start sniggering like Beavis about that number, Heeb wants you to know that the number 69 merely refers to the fact that it is currently 5769 in the Jewish calendar. Sure it does, guys.
The magazine, which is American, has been featured in Ha’aretz and The Jerusalem Post. It’s not just because of the women, but also because of the highly subversive and occasionally transgressive settings for the shots.
The cover, for example, features “Israeli supermodel” Bar Rafaeli (a.k.a. Leo DiCaprio’s girlfriend) on a beach surrounded by lobsters. For those not familiar with Jewish law, shellfish are treif (not kosher).
In a second photo (no I’m not going to link it — go find it for yourself, you perv), the model appears to be on the verge of stuffing a Dead Sea Scroll into a bottle and tossing it back in the water. In a third, the model is Reading Phillip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint.
So far, the magazine is getting it from all sides. Conservatives are complaining about both the bikinis and the blasphemies. Feminists are outraged at the “offensive” and “mysoginistic” content. One commenter even complained that Bar Rafaeli is blonde, wondering if “select[ing] women who look like shiksas” is not really “sending such a positive message.”
If you ask me, readers are missing the real controversy: the same issue also features a story on how to play shuffleboard.
Oh. My. God. Talk about transgressive.
Hat tip: Checkpoint Jerusalem