Amsterdam Journal: Is There a Jewish Section of Amsterdam's Red-Light District?

photo of Die Wallen (Ввласенко)

You visit the Jewish section of Rome and the old ghetto in Prague, but is there a Jewish neighborhood in De Wallen, Amsterdam’s red- light district? People seek out different things in their sexual partners. Sometimes it's getting the attention of somebody you can’t otherwise have. This applies to women who seek out the services of gigolos too—as was demonstrated by the program of the same name which aired on HBO several seasons ago. But what if you're a Jewish guy and you happen to get homesick in Amsterdam? What if you’re interested in the battle of the sexes rather than sex? What if you like the kind of Jewish humor that used to be found in the movies of Woody Allen (admittedly another embattled figure)? Amsterdam with its liberal atmosphere affords the possibility of gratifying a plethora of desires. Wouldn't it be fun to go to a section of De Wallen where yentas offered the chance to engage in sado-masochistic role playing in which no bodily fluids were exchanged? Everybody has a fetish and desire that really turns them on. Some want wild and exotic sex and others may be looking for something closer to home. They want to be yelled at.