‘THEY feed your mind and your appetite,” writes author Kristina Grish, “and they’re the ultimate caretakers without a hint of machismo. They’re also generous and thoughtful, thanks to a matriarchal culture that’s taught them to appreciate women’s strength, candor, humor and intelligence.”

Should you be lucky enough to bed one of them, “brace yourself for a passionate performance.”

Just who are these red-hot sizzling sex machines?

They’re Jewish men – and Grish, a 29- year-old Presbyterian who lives in the West Village, is so enamored of them she’s written a whole book extolling their worthiness as partners for women like her. “Boy Vey! The Shiksa’s Guide to Dating Jewish Men” throws “shiksa love” – in which Jewish men have historically chased after WASP blondes for status – into reverse.

Under chapter titles like “You Probably Won’t Meet Him in Wyoming” and “The First Shtup,” Grish, who claims 18 to 20 flings with tribesmen under her J.Crew belt, covers topics like dealing with his mom and handling a Holy Day.

A few months ago, Grish was chatting with an acquaintance when the woman asked what her book was about.

“It’s a non-Jewish guide to dating Jewish men,” explained Grish – at which point the conversation turned rather frosty.

“So you’re the reason I can’t find a boyfriend,” said the woman.

Although the tone of “Boy Vey!” is lighthearted, it does reflect a large shift in interfaith romance in the last few decades.

Think Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, Liev Schreiber and Naomi Watts, Adam Sandler and his recently converted wife, Jackie.

And there’s even a “shiksa chic” movement afoot. Katie Couric recently sported a “You Had Me at Shalom” Tshirt when she interviewed Mel Brooks, and Demi Moore has been spotted in Hollywood wearing a shirt emblazoned with the word Meshuggene. And Sara Schwimmer, founder of the site chosencouture.com, reports that “Shiksa” Tshirts are selling like latkes at Hanukkah.

The Jewish dating site Jdate.com is regularly flooded with non-Jews looking to meet a Jewish mate – about 50,000 of its 600,000 members have checked the “unaffiliated” box in their profiles.

The topic of interfaith dating is a sensitive one for many Jews, who worry that the religion will die out if not passed on to younger generations.

According to a 2000 survey conducted by the City University of New York, more than half of Jews marry non-Jews – a dramatic increase from 13 percent in 1970.

Among them is Mike Winograd, a 34-year-old Jewish attorney who married an Irish-American, Siobhan. They’ve decided to raise their son, Liam, Jewish, and he had a bris.

“We’re raising our son Jewish, and it’s not the easiest thing for my wife’s parents,” says Winograd. “But he has an Irish name, Liam. We’ll expose him to both worlds.”

Randall Kahn, a 25-year-old business consultant, theorizes that Jewish men, especially those not ready to marry, “like to date non-Jewish girls because they want to see who else is out there, other than their moms.

“I love my mom, but we don’t all necessarily think of dating our mom. But in terms of marriage, my mother would be

fabulous. I would totally love for my mom to be the mother of my children. I mean . . . ”

Not surprisingly, critics of shiksa chic tend to be Jewish women.

“Maybe these women like them for superficial reasons, and that’s annoying,” says Kimberly Temner, a 26-year-old

publicist who lives in New York.

“Every religion has these images and generalizations, and generally, I find that people say, ‘Oh, Jewish men are rich and family oriented,’ and that bothers me. It’s coming from a superficial angle.

“And yes, it is hard enough to find someone if you want to stay in your own religion. The Jewish community is small, and when Jewish men get snapped up by non-Jews, it leaves less for me.”

As it turns out, there’s one more in the dating pool now that Grish herself is currently dating (gasp!) a non-Jew, author Scott Mebus – her first gentile in seven years.

“But when I first met him, I thought he was Jewish!” she protests.

“Really, I did. When my publicist found out I was dating a non-Jew, she said, ‘Can’t you just pretend for the sake of the book?’ ”

Jewish men, meanwhile, are hailing Grish’s new book as a work of genius.

“I’m for anything that makes the Jewish man more desirable in the eyes of everyone,” says Josh Neuman, editor of Heeb magazine and author of “The Big Book of Jewish Conspiracies.”

“The roots of this trend go back decades in Hollywood,” he says.

“On ‘Love Boat,’ a boat of nonstop romance and intrigue, there was one character that was head and shoulders above the rest, and that was Doc.

“Scantily clad women would line up claiming they had headaches. The show turned Bernie Kopell into a ladies’ man.”

But Neuman adds that “Boy Veh” must be viewed with skepticism.

“I don’t believe that Grish really wrote this book,” he says. “It’s far more likely that ‘Kristina Grish’ is a nom de plume for Morris Lipshitz.”