'I'VE DONE MORE THAN MOST PEOPLE, AND I'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT SEXUALITY' PORN STAR HARTLEY TO LEAD TEMPLE BETH AMI SEX SEMINAR.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

NEWHALL - With nearly 600 skin flicks on her resume, Nina Hartley is an expert on sex, a specialty she will share next week with members of a Newhall temple.

Hartley, along with the rabbi who invited her to Temple Beth Ami, figures the star of `'Debbie Does Dishes'' and ``One Size Fits All'' has the know-how to teach couples a few tricks to spice things up once the kids are asleep.

``Sexual knowledge is sexual knowledge, and one way you learn it is when you do it,'' Hartley said in an interview Monday. ``And most people haven't done it as much as I have. They want to hear from me because I'm a professional.''

How do you explain that to a Jewish mother?

``Oh, my mom will be there,'' said Rabbi Mark Blazer. ``My mom was very open about sex and from that I learned the importance of sexuality as an important component of a good marriage.''

The seminar is free and open to the public. It is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Feb. 19 at the temple, 23023 Hilse Lane, Newhall.

It was Blazer's idea to invite Hartley to speak on sexuality as part of the temple's adult education course. And with the blessing of the Beth Ami board, Hartley - accompanied by her fiance, the managing editor of an adult magazine - will hold her first-ever adult education course for a religious group.

She sees no contradiction in bringing a porn star to a religious center.

``The shock is part of the appeal,'' Blazer said. ``The idea behind it is to push the envelope when we think of the places we can learn from.''

Hartley is an articulate speaker ``who is passionate about people feeling good about their own sexuality,'' Blazer said.

``Our goal is to educate, expand our thoughts and, hopefully, to learn,'' he said. ``Obviously, Nina and I have different boundaries in what would be a holy relationship, the holy way we treat our bodies, but in some points we're in agreement. People will have their thoughts challenged.''

Hartley has been a sex educator for 18 years, traveling the country and speaking at various venues, including top universities.

``I'm not telling people they need to like me, or do as I've done,'' Hartley said. ``I've done more than most people, and I've learned a lot about sexuality.'' Aside from her adult films, Hartley, a registered nurse with a master's degree, has made sex education videos, designed to help viewers explore their own sexuality and enhance their sex lives.

Sexuality, Blazer said, is important in Judaism. Jewish law, in fact, allows for a woman to divorce her husband if he doesn't provide for her sexual needs.

Congregants are excited about the seminar - the men less likely to admit it, and embarrassed when they acknowledge they know of Hartley. The women, Blazer said, are quite interested.

For Hartley, it's an opportunity.

``I'm very interested in speaking to any spiritual community because sex is a spiritual thing,'' she said. ``It's what makes marriage go 'round.''

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(color -- ran in SAC edition only) Adult film star Nina Hartley, a registered nurse with a master's degree, has made sex education videos designed to help viewers explore their own sexuality and enhance their sex lives.