Nice Jewish guys finish first

Adam Cohen is in the business of nice Jewish guys.

Back in 2009, Cohen (who considers himself a nice Jewish guy) was sick of seeing bulging pecs gracing calendar covers and finally asked, “Why does it always have to be chiseled firemen?”

The Santa Monica man addressed his  frustration by creating a 12-month pin-up calendar featuring a dozen “nice” Jewish bachelors. That first year, he sold around 1,000 calendars. Now, the calendar is a best-selling sensation, available at trendy chains Urban Outfitters and Kitson. This year’s version features a guy on the cover wearing a plaid shirt and quirky glasses, snuggled up on a couch.

Cohen unveiled his 2015 calendar on Dec. 4 at Kitson’s North Robertson Boulevard location as part of a fundraiser that would do Sadie Hawkins proud: Three guys from the calendar were auctioned off for dates to the highest female bidders.

“For the first time in my life, the woman is buying me a first date,” gloated Mr. November, Rhyan Schwartz, 25. 

By the end of the night, the auction raised more than $600 for Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Los Angeles. 

“We auctioned off three guys — all nice, young Jewish guys ready and willing to go on a dinner date with any of the ladies who were bidding,” explained auctioneer Jason Pickar, a 2015 Nice Jewish Guy and rapper who goes by the stage name Chozinn.

“I’m February, the most romantic month of the year,” Pickar told the Journal. “It’s also the shortest month of the year, which I try not to dwell on.”

Pickar said he opted to be the auctioneer because he’s currently in a committed relationship. 

Out of all the guys auctioned, the most expensive bachelor was Jason Lockhart (Mr. May, fondly referred to as “Jason the Indie Film Director” throughout the night), who went for $325. Schwartz, an actor/musician/comedian, was auctioned off for $275, and baby-faced Ryan Lefton (Mr. March), who was the first guy up for auction, went for $175.

“They [the bidders] were just warming up,” explained his mother, Sally Lefton-Wolfe. (Living up to nice Jewish guy expectations, Lefton brought his mother to the event.)

“This is every Jewish mother’s dream,” Lefton-Wolfe continued while holding a Kitson shopping bag. “And you have to see this. I went into Kitson and bought him this: It’s a shirt that says, ‘Nice Jewish Boy.’ ”

In the calendar, Lefton posed with a yarmulke while reclining against a pew. In another picture, he held an open siddur and smiled at the camera — “like they just caught me studying for my bar mitzvah,” he told the Journal.

As part of his strategy during the auction, he said, “I tried to pose a little bit just to hike it up. I unbuttoned one of my shirt buttons just to show a little bit of my chest — despite the lack of hair.” 

Lefton and his date will dine at RivaBella in West Hollywood.

“Now I want him to meet a nice Jewish girl,” his mother said in typical Jewish mother fashion.

During the evening, Cohen, a married TV producer with children, scouted potential Nice Jewish Guys for his 2016 calendar, conducting quick interviews with 15 hopefuls. He said he’s definitely picking at least one, if not more, of the prospective nice guys; casting decisions will be made in February or March.

Already, Cohen has sold approximately 10,000 2015 calendars. He’s confident in his formula — putting personality first.

“When it comes to Nice Jewish Guys, physicality comes second,” he said.

In fact, every nice guy’s headshot is accompanied by a short biography, whether it boasts an accomplished violin player who can perform the national anthem via “hand farts” (“Joel,” aka Mr. January), a medical professional who loves water polo (“Sam,” aka Mr. June) or a pilot who’s afraid of heights (“Max,” aka Mr. September). It’s about the story, more than the face.

“It’s really taking on a life of its own,” Cohen said, “and I should really be capitalizing on that more.” 

Cohen gets lots of requests, specifically from people asking him to start a dating website (to which he responded, “I’m working on it!”) or throwing nice Jewish girls into the mix.

“A couple of years ago, we tested it out and had a couple of months for nice Jewish girls, and people were just lukewarm about it,” Cohen said. “I don’t know why it didn’t really catch people’s attention as much as the guys.”

But regardless, he’s found a goldmine with this particular niche. 

“Plus,” Cohen added, “it’s making a lot of Jewish moms happy.”