Porn Star Passionate About Jews

A porn star and naked butler, who lost his job teaching sex education when pupils discovered his website, has spoken of his real passions – "Hebrew, Israel and all things Jewish."

Porn star passionate about Jews

Porn star is learning Hebrew, loves Israel and has dog called Simcha

By Jessica Elgot • London Jewish Chronicle

A porn star and naked butler, who lost his job teaching sex education when pupils discovered his website, has spoken of his real passion - for "Hebrew, Israel and all things Jewish".

Benedict Garrett, 30, who goes by the stage name Johnny Anglais, has made films such as European Honeyz 4 and is in demand for hen parties nationwide for his services as a naked butler, clad in just a bow tie and a smile.

Mr Garrett, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, lists "Hebrew" as a language skill on his website.

But his proficiency in Ivrit is just part of his longstanding love for Jewish culture.

He is a regular at hen nights in north west London

During his time as a personal, social, health and economic education teacher at Beal High School in Ilford, Essex, he began a Jewish society for pupils, invited rabbis to speak to students and prepared kosher snacks.

Mr Garrett was fired from his teaching post after pupils discovered the website where he advertises his stripping services. His teaching job had included promoting safe sex to pupils.

He told the JC: "I have a long-time fascination and affiliation with the Jewish people, their history and their culture, visited shul, been to Israel, learnt Hebrew - but, alas, I am still a gentile."

Although he has never dated a Jewish girl, Mr Garrett is a regular at hen nights in north-west London Jewish suburbs.

He said: "I have very interesting chats with people when I go to Jewish hen nights, and at the Adonis Cabaret where I work on Saturdays I get very excited when I see crowds of Jewish women. I go up to them and say something in Hebrew and they say: 'Are you Jewish?' I have to smile and say no."

Mr Garrett owns a dog called Simcha and has two menorahs on top of his television. He said: "I don't quite have a mezuzah on the door yet."

His fascination with all things Jewish began as a teenager when he learnt about the Holocaust at his Church of England Primary School. He said: "I had a very Christian upbringing but I became intrigued by the history of the Jewish people, and I began reading more and more about it. I had never even met anyone Jewish before I came to live in London."

Mr Garrett said that his passion has grown in the past few years. On his Facebook profile, Mr Garrett lists his favourite music as klezmer and his favourite film is Steven Spielberg's Holocaust epic Schindler's List.

He visited Israel two years ago, on a solo visit. He said: "I really fell in love with the country. I began to look into studying Hebrew in anticipation of returning there one day."

He began taking Hebrew classes at Redbridge Jewish Community Centre, and visited Bet Tikvah Synagogue in Newbury Park and South West Essex Reform Synagogue.

Despite his devotion to the faith, he is not looking at converting in the near future. He said: "It has been a consideration in the past, but the interest I have is in Israel, in Jewish culture, in the history. I am not a particularly religious person. I did find it a cathartic experience going to shul. I have never experienced that at church. I felt a deep connection - whether it was spiritual or not, I don't know. But conversion not something I could do at this point in my life, I may still consider it later. I am still wondering about the existence of God."

Mr Garrett, who accepts that he is unlikely to find another teaching post, said he now hopes to become a sex and fitness guru, and to promote safer sex in the porn industry.

[Hat Tip: Dr. Rofeh-Filosof.]

Comments

[Dr. Dave]

Boy, the chareidim are gonna be lining up to do metzitzah b'peh on this one when he finally decides to pay them their baksheesh and he converts.

[Reader]

Are we (Jews) supposed to feel grateful and proud at these revelations?
I mean, are we this hard up?

[ADDeRabbi]

Guy seems to be a real, um, Zionist.

[harold]

Are we (Jews) supposed to feel grateful and proud at these revelations?
I mean, are we this hard up?

We? What we? We Jews? This nugget was picked up and posted by Scotty so form your own conclusion, just don't say that the fact that Scotty posted it on his web site reflects what WE Jews feel.

[jay]

Interesting bit of news, albeit bizarre.

[Critical minyan]

In my line of work, I meet a lot of male porn stars - both gay and straight. My experience is the bigger they are,the more they like Jewish music. One the biggest gay stars can't even perform without listening to lipa shmelzer.

[jay]

Ummm...by "biggest" did you mean 'most famous'??

[BaltimoreYid]

It just gets stranger by the day, doesn't it?

[Menachem Mendel lll]

Who can blame him?

I always supected my Hebraic-Judiac
"sister" (shvogah) who the best whores and
fornicators. The bigger the nose and louder the mouth and the ones who wear jet black Monica Lewinsky style shyetels the the dirtest stuts around.

The secret is out.

And please, don't blame the hot goy for delivering the news about your wife, aunt and sister.

[Jeff]

Are we (Jews) supposed to feel grateful and proud at these revelations?
I mean, are we this hard up?

He seems to be sincere. If he expressed half as much interest in Jewish culture, and he happened to sell insurance for a living, you'd say, "He's obviously being led by HaShem", or some such thing. But because he does something of which you don't approve... (of course, you'll say God doesn't approve of it, either).

[Jeff]

Shmarya, I think you ought to consider a no-tolerance policy for anyone who insists upon referring to you as "Scotty". This insufferable troll has been warned repeatedly.

[harold]

Shmarya, I think you ought to consider a no-tolerance policy for anyone who insists upon referring to you as "Scotty". This insufferable troll has been warned repeatedly.

Please show me ONE post (never mind repeatedly) saying that I am not allowed. I am not complaining when I am called "idiot" or "jerk" (and I don't hear you complaining). I simply declared that it was not professional.

[alternative childcare]

The only other person to consistently refer to Shmarya as "Scotty" was "archie bunker" who in major contradistinction to "harold" was clearly Torah educated and could actually quote texts to make his points, this "harold" is just an annoying troll who says annoying things that frequently contradict one another. And this spoken as a frum reader.

[Jeff]

In fairness, I'll say that Archie was considerably more vicious (the only reason I don't think harold is Archie), but this one is just as obnoxious.

Harold, I'll ask you a question I used to ask Archie - one to which I never received an answer - why are you here? And don't tell me it's because someone has to stand up for tradition, Torah Jewry, blah, blah... that's bullshit. It's obvious that no one here cares for your opinions, and that you are contemptuous of Scott and all that he's trying to accomplish.

Why are you here?

[Bassy the Haredi Slayer]

Archie is still obbsessed with Shmarya, he posts on UOJ ubder many monikers complaining about Shmarya.

[jay]

I don't mind when Harold ,or anyone else, debates a position from their particular point of view, so long as it's supported by fact. No one gains anything, though, when the thread devolves to vulgarity and calling people names.

Just as I (and I assume others) post comments on blogs that generally oppose our point of view, Harold has every right to do the same.

Give him some credit- at least he doesn't publicly support a geocentric model of the universe ;-)

[Shaul in Monsey]

Just don't get near this guy when he wants to hide the, er, afikomen.

[Jeff]

Just as I (and I assume others) post comments on blogs that generally oppose our point of view, Harold has every right to do the same.

A blog is a street corner, jay. It's private property. No one has an inherent "right" to post anything. One is there at the pleasure of the blog owner. If someone came into your living room and behaved like an asshole everyday, would you throw him out, or would you simply say, "He has the right to be here"?

However, that wasn't even my point. My question wasn't about whether or not he should be allowed to, but about why he wants to.

[Jeff]

*isn't* a street corner

[seymour]

were is ron jeremey and the other jewish porn star like anne spinkle

[jay]

So long as a blog owner allows someone to post, he has that right. I can't speak for him but I would assume he's here to present and debate against a point of view he considers erroneous. Nothing's wrong with that, as it appears to be something Shmarya welcomes on his blog.

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Chabad will use this guy to advertise the mitzvah of milah. I can see my local shaliach driving around town in a "Cock-coach."

[Successful Messiah]

"This nugget was picked up and posted by Scotty so form your own conclusion, just don't say that the fact that Scotty posted it on his web site reflects what WE Jews feel."

Of course not, Scotty posted this because he took one look at this fellow's picture and he fell in love.

[nachos]

I am not complaining when I am called "idiot" or "jerk" (and I don't hear you complaining).
Posted by: harold | July 16, 2010 at 09:29 AM

Harold, you are a jerk and an idiot!!! :)

[harold]

Harold, I'll ask you a question I used to ask Archie - one to which I never received an answer - why are you here? And don't tell me it's because someone has to stand up for tradition, Torah Jewry, blah, blah... that's bullshit. It's obvious that no one here cares for your opinions, and that you are contemptuous of Scott and all that he's trying to accomplish.
Why are you here?

To annoy Scotty and people like you. There was a reader who said that he stopped visiting this site because of me. That post made my day.

Also I think it is important for the casual observer to see that there is another side and be informed that there is a slant and an agenda at work that puts a powerful spin. This site is skewed not only by what and how it presents its stories but by what it excludes. To show the world only the dark and seedy part of a group of people without showing any of the good is a gross disservice. Sometimes I try to interject similar stories outside the Orthodox world to show that a particular problem is not unique to the Jewish world. I also try whenever possible, almost a mantra, that crime goes on in all segments of society day in and day out. Jews are not immune to being the perpetrator or the victim. As long as the statistical distribution is within the norms of society at large there is no “problem” at play outside the frailties of man.

[Jeff]

The "casual observer" is far more likely to be in agreement with Scott and with the majority of commenters here.

To annoy Scotty and people like you. There was a reader who said that he stopped visiting this site because of me.

That was I, actually. I said it a couple of weeks ago, but I decided to stick around this time. I think I'll take a break, now.

That post made my day.

With this one line, you have completely invalidated everything you have ever said here, along with any claims you might have made or would ever make to moral superiority based upon your anachronistic belief system. I find this all the time, virtually without exception, among evangelicals and frum Jews (I'm sure it would be the same with Islamic fundies, but I don't know any) - they can't shut up about the superiority of the personality produced by their religion; meanwhile, they're invariably the biggest assholes I've ever encountered.

Really, people - if you don't hound him off of this site for this one remark alone, you've no business complaining about harold or those he represents ever again.

[Jeff]

One more thing - as I recall, I also told you that you've inspired loathing and contempt in a fellow Jew. And this made your day.

You're a hypocrite and a betrayer of all you profess to hold sacred. May you live long enough for your children to see you for who you are, and reject you for it.

[harold]

The only other person to consistently refer to Shmarya as "Scotty" was "archie bunker" who in major contradistinction to "harold" was clearly Torah educated and could actually quote texts to make his points, this "harold" is just an annoying troll who says annoying things that frequently contradict one another. And this spoken as a frum reader

If R' Moshe Feinstein would speak to a kindergarten class would he quote talmud or Rambam or the Riff or the Rosh? No, same here, this is a site infested with rabid anti-Semites, reshoim, am haratzim, apikorsim, not the kind of a crowd to quote or have a Talmudic discussion with. I am cognizant of these miscreants and try to address this audience.

[jay]

Rabid anti-semites? LOL!!!!!!!
One could argue that a site such as VIN, Cross-Currents or YWN is infested with rabid anti-semites because they incessantly trash MO, some Religious/Zionist, Conservative and Reform Jews. I suppose that would make them reshoim as well.

Harold, those who claim moral superiority and rationalize, deny or cover-up their misdeeds are reasonably subject to scrutiny.

[alternative childcare]

I'm here, as are many, with an extensive yeshiva background from the US and Israel, and here because I was around some of the sex scandals at yeshivas (particularly neve yehoshua/itri where I remember Ben Zion Sobel yimach shemo encouraging us all to use the pool in between sedorim and hanging around us while we were in our bathing suits), and am VERY grateful that Shmarya has been covering these episodes.

If you think that protecting menuvals makes you some kind of tzadik, that is very sad.

[alternative childcare]

the 2:15 comment was directed at "harold"

[jay]

@AC, well said. I have a yeshiva background as well, through 2nd year of college. The downward spiral to the right , as well as the increasing corruption are disheartening, to say the least. The chumrahs of yesteryear have often become the standard of frumkeit in our times. The increasing superstition, ignorance, intolerance, extremism and xenophobia are worthy of discussion and need to be reported.

A few years ago, the Rabbi of YI Hillcrest (Queens), long since retired, wrote a fantastic opinion piece in the Jewish Week wherein he discussed his dismay at the increasing ignorance, superstition and religious immaturity developing in Orthodox Judaism.

He prefaced that, in his opinion, no reasonably intelligent and balanced non-religious person looking at what Orthodoxy has become would be attracted to it anymore. I can't remember his name, unfortunately.

The responses to his column were such inane comments as "next thing he'll have us watching TV on Shabbos."

[nachos]

As long as the statistical distribution is within the norms of society at large there is no “problem” at play outside the frailties of man.

Posted by: harold | July 16, 2010 at 12:40 PM

How does just being average deal coincide to be a light unto the nations?

[jay]

Additionally, if there is a statistical distribution that is coincident with society at large, it discredits the claims that Orthodoxy leads to a uniquely moral lifestyle.

[harold]

If you think that protecting menuvals makes you some kind of tzadik, that is very sad.

I am completely for bringing sex offenders to justice. I really don't care if 20+ years have past and solid evidence is still viable then throw him in jail. I am against the “sue everyone in sight” and institutions in particular. If a person X commits a sexual crime and he was helped by person Y then bring charges against person Y as well, not the company or organization that person Y works at, especially if the company or organization has a number of employees who are completely innocent and had nothing whatsoever to do with the crime. If scumbag X, who works for company A, steals a TV and his superior, scumbag Y helps him by fencing the TV, is it right to sue company A for the theft. This is the way I look at the current atmosphere of how litigations work. Go up the chain until you find deep pockets.

I am not into blogging, with the exception of a stint on JWB I do not follow blogs. I will on occasion look at VIN for their stories only. I do not read the comments since I find them rather silly and lowbrow. To be honest, the same can be said about this blog, however, in VIN there appears to be a mix of commenters, here with few exceptions, appear to be mostly yea sayers so another voice needs to be added to the mix.

I had no idea that “archie bunker” was such a celebrity. I came just about when he left. I in fact spared with him a few times not realizing I was in the presence of greatness.

[alternative childcare]

Harold, he wasn't great, he was "shivrei luchos", a learned guy with really sick opinions about race and the like.
It was good that he was banned, but at least when he defended charedim he did it from a learned perspective.

[jay]

VIN is a mix of commenters? They generally range from RW Religious Zionist to Hasidic. That doesn't cover much of the spectrum at all.

[harold]

How does just being average deal coincide to be a light unto the nations?

Being average is a nice starting point for the masses. The greatness occurs at the head of the curve, it is where you need the quality, not the quantity. Just look at the greatness of Albert Einstein, a handful of those is all that is required for a truckload of kiddush hashem. Average Joes are average Joes in almost all statistical groups. The hard working middle class, the ones that come home, eat a supper and maybe try to chap a mincha mariv and a little learning with a chavrusah, or catch up on some reading or watch some tv, spend some quality time with the family etc.

[Toby]

He's probably a better Jew than Rubashkin, at least more honest.

[Dovy]

Was he just arrested for a vicious murder with a porn star named 'Logue' down in FL? (just google it)

[jay]

Harold, you're arguments are very weak. Being statistically average on a moral basis, with just a few on the 'righteous' end of the bell curve would ,again, mean the Orthodox community is not any more moral then the general population. You can probably do better ;-)
Shabbat Shalom!

[effie]

Anyone else think his navel is too high?

[Jay]

As a matter of fact- yes! Maybe he's had one facelift too many?

[Bill]

His favorite language?

He-blew

[harold]

Being statistically average on a moral basis, with just a few on the 'righteous' end of the bell curve would ,again, mean the Orthodox community is not any more moral then the general population. You can probably do better ;-)

When I talk about statistically average the best that I can do is speak about issues that are measurable and something that this blog focus on and that is crime statistics. I am indeed surprised that with all this focus on criminal issues, I have never seen any reference to any hard numbers as to criminal activity, convictions, and numbers serving time. If there was a blog post, then please post the link or if anyone has a link to any hard numbers I would appreciate if they could post the link.

One cannot give a meaningful definition of what it is to be moral and to be able to quantify it to the point that one can do meaningful statistics on. One can slice and dice it to show your best attribute. As an example, I am quite sure that for the characteristic of charity I have a gut feeling that the Jews would do above average and the orthodox in particular.

[David]

Anyone else think his navel is too high?

Posted by: effie | July 16, 2010 at 05:14 PM

In the picture shown it may appear to be oddly placed. It is normally at the level between the L3 and L4 vertebrae. On the other hand he obviously works out and has low body fat which may make its location appear unusual compared with most other people who are obese... And his waistline is not defined by the presence of clothes, either.

[harold]

Anyone else think his navel is too high?

My my my, we are wallowing in the schmutz.

Check out http://www.johnnyanglais.com/ if you feel a need to to have this question answered.

[shneerhere]

Alter ego, Shmarya? :)

[Lewis Levy]

I don't know if anyone's looked, but I'm taking it "Mr Anglais" hasn't been circumcised ? Presumably, that'll be something for when he converts !