Exactly the Same Sex: Sexual Consultation Centers in the Yishuv in the 1930s

This article examines the impact of the European sexual reform movement, and especially its German branch, on the development of sexual discourse in the Yishuv in the 1930s. It examines sexual consultation centers established in Tel Aviv at the beginning of the decade, consultation columns in the general and medical press, visits of members of the Yishuv to international sexology congresses and German sexologists’ visits to the Yishuv, and particularly to the kibbutz. The article questions what was the “sexual consultation” that emerged in the Yishuv, how did it perceive normative sexuality, as well as controversial questions such as masturbation and abortion. The radical impulse of the German movement was lost in Palestine; leading German sexologists who immigrated to Palestine failed to revive the movement in their new home. At the same time, new forums were created for discussing human sexuality, as well as offering the opportunity for conversation and advice. This short-lived experience ended in the late 1930s.