Jews With Tattoos
Pride, Aesthetics and Rebellion Play a Role As Their Popularity Increases
By Ron Dicker
Craig Dershowitz started with a Kabbalah Ladder on his back, then followed with the word ZION on his right forearm. His entire torso remains a mural in progress.
Marisa Kakoulas considers herself a Grecian urn, ready to be decorated. The suit she wears as an attorney conceals her black-ink tapestry, making her feel like a superhero, she said.
They are Jews with tattoos, a trend that began on the fringe and is moving toward the mainstream. Ink-wearing Jews are not as omnipresent as in some other groups, given the proliferation of tattoos in sports and the entertainment industry, but their numbers are increasing, according to tattoo wearers, artists and the rabbis who bear witness to the branding of their flock.
Joshua Andrews, operator of hebrewtattoo.net, an online catalog of Jewish body-art samples, said he receives 35,000 visits a month to his Web site and 50 personalized design requests monthly. Yoni Zilber, an Israeli tattoo artist in Brooklyn, said he gets a customer asking for Jewish-themed adornment at least once every few weeks.
Pride, aesthetics and rebellion all play a part. To these inked-up believers, the Leviticus exhortation to “not make 20 gashes in your flesh for the dead nor incise any marks on yourself” has lost its relevance in 21st century Judaism.
“There are a number of taboos that I believe restrict modern American Jews,” Dershowitz said. “I am excited to break these taboos and to show a New York Jew as a strong, creative, artistic individual who is not afraid to wear his religion and beliefs, quite literally, on his sleeve.”
Dershowitz, a 32-year-old Morgan Stanley alum who edits a tattoo magazine called Bombin’, stood on the balcony of his 15th floor apartment with Manhattan at his feet and a tableau of an ancient past draping his upper body. Mother Israel grows out of the earth on his chest. Archangel Michael protects a kibbutznik and a soldier. On his right arm, the Lions of Judah play bodyguards to King Solomon.
The artwork does not bolster his connection to Judaism, he emphasizes; rather it forces others to recognize it.
“The permanence of a tattoo can only, rarely, be reversed,” he said. “At the same time, the passion which motivated getting it cannot be reversed at all. My family and friends, forced by either the former or the latter, have no choice but to accept.”
For the 36-year-old Kakoulas, an international-law specialist who lives in Brooklyn, her tattoos are a canvas of patterns that chart her world travels. “It’s not about making a statement,” she declared. “It’s about beauty.”
Eric Silver, a Penn State University sociology professor who has written about tattoos, attributes the increase in the practice among Jews to a larger social movement. “Tattoos have become normal among adults, and Jews come in a lot of flavors,” he said. “There’s a big chunk that are pretty assimilation-minded and want to participate fully in mainstream culture.”
But for many, the Torah still holds sway.
“Tattoos are just incompatible with Jewish values,” said Rabbi Brian Schuldenfrei of the Conservative Sinai Temple in Los Angeles. “We see the body as a holy and beautiful vessel, created by God. A tattoo only takes away from that divine beauty. So, we dismiss the practice of tattoos — but must remember not to reject the person with tattoos.”
Rabbi Eric Siroka of the Reform Temple Beth-El in South Bend, Ind., preached acceptance for the growing number of tattooed Jewish youth. “They’re wearing it the same as they would clothing or jewelry,” he said. “You have to be respectful as you would with any part of a person’s expression.”
And then there is Andrews, who appears to straddle both sides of the argument. Despite running the tattoo Web site, Andrews has no tattoos himself and declines to tattoo Jewish clients because it is “not Judaic in any capacity,” he said. “I get enough business from Goyim that I do not need Jewish business.” (He draws designs for everyone, but Jewish customers must go to another artist for the hands-on work.)
Andrews began the Hebrew calligraphy Web site on a lark and discovered a market, he said. He credits a recent spike in visitors to the his-and-hers King Solomon quote worn by David and Victoria Beckham. The words etched in Hebrew translate to “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”
Zilber said most of his Jewish customers focus on religious themes and Hebrew lettering. As for his own body, the artist wears Tibet-inspired tats. (“I’m Jewish in the inside,” he explained.)
Although cultural mores have loosened for modern Jews — “the shock value has worn off,” Rabbi Siroka said — the decision to get a tattoo does not always come easily.
Will, an artist at a tattoo parlor in Greenwich Village where some customers have been ordering the Star of David, recalled a recent encounter. “One older guy … thought about it for a long time,” he said. “He was conflicted.” The man eventually got the tattoo, as do most of those who waver, the artist said.
There has long been controversy about whether having a tattoo prevents a Jew from being buried in a Jewish cemetery, though a spokesman for the Jewish Theological Seminary said scholars there have found no basis for this ban. Siroka called it “an old wives’ tale,” and some cemetery officials supported him.
“Internment sites here have to do with lineage of Jewish heritage,” said Kirk Taylor, the family service manager for Hillcrest Memorial Park’s Beit Olam Cemetery in Dallas. “… It has nothing to do with anything else.”
“We have a great amount of bodies coming in,” said Amber Hession, who answers the phone at Westlawn in Chicago. “I’m sure some have tattoos.”
The idea that tattoos dishonor Holocaust victims tattooed by the Nazis no longer resonates with many.
“The Holocaust wasn’t done with choice, and it was only to number people,” Zilber said. “I never get the association with the Holocaust and tattoos.”
With history and disapproval getting swept away, ink converts predict more of the faithful will visit tattoo parlors. And they’ll mean business.
Said Kakoulas: “We have not seen the saturation point.”
Ron Dicker is a freelance writer living in Brooklyn.
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There is only one word that describes these tatoos - UGLY
Personally, I think it's really no one's business whether or not someone has a tattoo.
Check out my tattoo sleeves at www.tattoo-sleeves.com
The article notes: "The idea that tattoos dishonor Holocaust victims tattooed by the Nazis no longer resonates with many.
'The Holocaust wasn’t done with choice, and it was only to number people,” Zilber said. “I never get the association with the Holocaust and tattoos.'"
All I can say is the first time I saw the number on an elder neighbor's arm, I almost fainted. I am sorry that that "relevance" has faded for some.
After both of my parents passed away I gave some thought having either of the numbers tattooed on their arms, or the sum of them, tattooed on mine, but decided against it. I remain tattooless.
You can see and hear from 18 tattooed Jews in the Jewish Voice for Peace Seattle 2009-2010 calendar at http://www.jewswithtattoos.net
The holocaust once served to discourage Jews from tattooing, and neo-Nazi skinheads once discouraged Jews from walking around with shaved scalps. Today, in Israel, you can find plenty of tattooed and skinheaded Jews.
So, if this can happen in Israel, it can certainly happen in New York.
There is always relevance with an outwardly-displayed sign, like a tattoo. To call it art, to call it an expression of a philosophy, is one thing, but when the Torah says that we should not desicrate our bodies, then that expression should be followed.
In a fit of adenilin some have gotten tattoos, and it is there for life. But when the mood has changed, when the outward expression has diminished, when the temporary love or expression has passed its height, the tattoo is left on the body.
I can appreiate the Jewish tattooist who wont paint a Jew, saying there are enough crazies out there!
Thanks for bringing the tattoo to us from the Jewish viewpoint.
First they came for shabbat but I didn't keep shabbat, then they came for the kosher laws but I didn't care because I didn't keep the kosher laws now they are coming for the tattoo mitzva.... There will always be some Jews, who make a mitzva out of violating the commandants of the Torah. Pay them no mind. Their grandchildren will be Presbyterian.
Those in the DC area can continue the conversation with "Tattoos & Taboos with Ami James of Miami Ink " a program at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue on October 25th. Details here: http://www.sixthandi.org/EventDetails.aspx?evntID=225&dispDt=10/25/2009%207:00:00%20PM
In accordance with the Mosaic law in Leviticus 19.28, it is forbidden for Jews to get tattooed:
"Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD".
For those of you who are sitting in front of you computer judging and shaming people who have tattoo's what gives you the right to pretend that you are a righteous person? I seriously doubt that you keep and observe all the Mitzvot that applies in today's society. Maybe we should all stop doing God's job on Judging people and focus on ourselves.
As a tattooer by trade and a Jew as well, I consider what I do to be an art form that beautifies and boosts the self image of the receiver of a tattoo. It is no more a sin than the piercing of ones earlobes, a common practice amongst Jews and gentiles alike. What about getting a nose job or receiving other forms of unnecessary cosmetic surgery? I don't recall anybody questioning these acts of "incising marks marks upin ones self" as being a sin. Just sayin'...
Yechiel said...
Fri. Oct 9, 2009 First they came for shabbat but I didn't keep shabbat, then they came for the kosher laws but I didn't care because I didn't keep the kosher laws now they are coming for the tattoo mitzva.... There will always be some Jews, who make a mitzva out of violating the commandants of the Torah. Pay them no mind. Their grandchildren will be Presbyterian.
I SAY----AH-MAYN!!
(p.s. ALL of the 78% of Jews who voted for the muslim Devil, Buraq Hussein, are also a threat to Jewish and Israeli survival.
“The permanence of a tattoo can only, rarely, be reversed,” he said. “At the same time, the passion which motivated getting it cannot be reversed at all. My family and friends, forced by either the former or the latter, have no choice but to accept.”
The arrogance of this person astounds me. Clearly he is immature and disrespectful of other's feelings. He's also short sighted if he believes others have no choice but to accept. Others have a choice. They can reject him and his tattoos. They can do anything they want. They can ostracise him, shun him, or even disown him. Everyone has a choice. His was to get tats... and he should remember that his friends, family, collegues, and neighbors all have choices too.
Just for the record. I don't have any tattoos. I have had piercings of all kinds. I've since taken them out and the holes have healed. I think it was a smart choice - there's that word again - given my level of commitment to Judiasm.
Finally, I have no problems with people with tats. Just with the smug boy from the article.
David Kaplan
For the
What parts of "FORBIDDEN BY G-D IN THE TORAH" don't these folks understand?
BTW, why would anyone want to deface their body, just because a bunch of mental cases think it is COOL?
Also, those who choose to paste tattoos up and down their arms, neck, and even face (imho) are mentally ill. No other explanation.
But, as Jews, the issue is quite simple....it is prohibited by G-d and Torah.
Now that the Forward has published numerous articles on Jews with tattoos, and sexually confused Jews, what is next.....recipes for suckling pig on a spit???
Other than to shock and insult observant Jews, WHY MUST YOU PRINT SUCH STUFF??
As a heavily tattooed and observant Jew, I hear both sides of this argument on a regular basis. On one hand, g-d and torah forbid it in a very round about way, not exactly directly, depending on the translation you study from.. some say incise upon the flesh, others say make marks upon the flesh, both follow that with "for the dead" My tattoos are not for the dead. My tattoos are for the living, they are for me. I attend an Chabad shul. I am pretty shomer with most things, I keep kosher. I daaven daily. I observe the laws of niddah. I keep shabbos. And I have tattoos. Does this make me a bad Jew? No. It makes me a Jew with tattoos. It makes me a Jew who might stand out a bit, but no more than the woman with the obvious plastic surgery, or the man with the dark hair and gray beard. It's a physical enhancement to one's body, and that has NEVER been forbidden in our culture.
Leviticus 19.....Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the LORD your G-D.
I've played in bands my whole life and many of my friends have tattoos. some of the designs i've seen are truly amazing. Because I'm Jewish I never got a tattoo even though I thought about it . . . By not getting a tattoo, it was also my way of being a rebel against my peers and popular culture, as well as reaffirming my culture. I also think that tattoos prevent people from being truly naked, something I think is important.
My understanding was that the same rationale referenced in Leviticus 19 was used to forbid ear piercing, but it's now allowed and seen as "normal" and "acceptable" among even the most observant Jews. Why is it, then, that an exception can be made for one interpretation -- i.e., ear piercing -- but not another (in this case tattooing)? Ear piercing isn't something that is a life saving measure like surgery, but rather a way to decorate the body with jewels and other things. Why is that not seen as verboten as it once was? I cry "foul"! It seems to be an exception of convenience and if you allow and accept one form of body adornment, then other forms of body art should be allowed as well. Whether or not they appeal to one's personal sense of aesthetics is a completely different issue (I don't like most earrings I see and I have not allowed my daughter to get her ears pierced though my mother did allow me to have mine pierced when I was 12, yet I do not wear earrings today).
Marisa Kakoulas is not Jewish. Not even a little bit. She's Catholic. What's the deal with that??
A discreet tattoo is ok but more is simply nauseating no matter what your religion.
Check out the hilarious website Jewish Mayhem and especially their articles on tattoos.
http://www.jewishmayhem.com
Those of us with the propensity to get toos aren't going to care, it is something in our blood that makes us want to decorate our bodies.... Do we wish to insult no, but as my very smart daughter told me it is what it is....
I think that Rob Markoff makes an excellent point, "tattoos prevent people from being truly naked". Having said that, I am pleased to learn that the idea that Jews with tatoos cannot be burried in a Jewish cemetery to be an old wives tales. Thank you for an interesting article.