Hebrew Ink: Justin Bieber’s New ‘Yeshua’ Tattoo
A month after his first visit to Israel, Justin Bieber has gotten a Hebrew tattoo.
The 17-year-old pop star showed off the new ink during a visit to Hawaii with his girlfriend this week. (Because that’s what normal 17-year-olds do: get tattoos and go to Hawaii with their girlfriends.)
The letters spell out “Yeshua,” or Jesus, in Hebrew.
Israel’s Mako website speculates that the Christian singer may have been influenced in his tattoo selection by his Jewish manager, Scooter Braun. The site claims Bieber says the “Shma” before every concert, and that Braun has discussed Jewish ethics with the performer.
Whatever the tattoo’s inspiration, The Shmooze hopes it means that Bieber wasn’t too traumatized by his visit to Israel, which was marred by overzealous paparazzi and opportunistic politicians.
The concert itself went off without a hitch, and the singer delighted fans by using a bit of local slang — “sababa,” or cool — that didn’t make the cut as his tattoo.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
