Is the Jewish repulsion for tattoos losing its significance?

Ironically for a country full of Jewish people, whose religion states to not make any modifications to one’s body, tattoos have never been so popular among Israelis. While many individuals and communities from all walks of life have a disinclination toward tattoos, there is a well-known trope in the Jewish world that tattoos are prohibited or looked down upon. Derived from Leviticus 19:28 that states “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord”, this well established aversion has lead countless Jews throughout time to keep their distance from permanently marking their bodies.

Growing up my parents supported my decision to get tattoos, they even sport a few themselves. Yet despite this, my mom never wavered in her ideology that getting a tattoo of Hebrew words was just one step too far. “It’s just too sacrilegious considering tattoos are already not allowed in Judaism,” she would say. 

Although these Jewish traditions exist against tattoos, an increase in Jews, specifically Israeli Jews getting tattoos and even getting religious and symbolic Jewish tattoos can be seen in recent years. It seems that the age-old repulsion for tattoos is losing its significance. In Israel, an uptick in the amount of Jews who adorn their bodies with permanent inkings can be traced to the past 30 years. From Western influence on Israel including technology and new styles, it’s no surprise that tattoos came along with this globalism. 

Prof. Oz Almog, a sociologist and historian at Haifa University in the Department of Israel Studies and the author of the journal article “Tattooing the Taboo: The Tattoo Trend in Israel,” writes in his book that the sensation of tattooing became popular in American society in the 1970s with the rise of rock culture and popular new outlandish fashion and personal appearances. “It took more than a decade for these changes to reach Israel, but from then on, Israeli society quickly started copying and importing European and American trends, sometimes out of an uncontrollable urge to satisfy a long-neglected hunger.”

This influence from the West allowed Israelis to be exposed to new happenings in the world and become open-minded to the idea that a tattoo is not the most sacrilegious thing to do. Why pick and choose which rules to uphold? If the Torah states that making gashes in one’s skin is prohibited then the same mindset must stand for ear piercings, a more common occurrence in Israeli and Jewish society. This shift in beliefs toward tattoos allowed Jewish Israelis to express themselves in new ways and has been popular ever since the 1990s. 

According to Dr. Suzi Kagan, the founder and president of the Association for Play Therapy-Israel, “For Israelis who are not religious, tattoos are a sort of passion and a sort of fashion for them.” She added that despite American tattoo influence, there is an increase in other types of body modifications such as cosmetic surgery and people getting surgeries to change their appearance at a younger age. “People making statements with their bodies, whether that be through surgeries, piercings, or tattoos are coming at a younger age now. Most young people want to make a statement about being an individual,” she said. 

Vizi Azulay, tattoo artist and owner of Vizi Tattoo in Jerusalem, echoed the same ideas about young people wanting to make a statement, adding that “with the rise of social media, specifically Instagram and Facebook, more people are exposed to tattoos and all the types of people who have them; this makes more people interested and pushes them to start thinking about if they want one, too.”

Painting since he was 14, Vizi knew he wanted to be a tattoo artist after he saw a TV show on body art when he was a kid. For Vizi, business is booming. Booked straight through until October, his skills are in high demand. I spent some time with Azulay, observing him throughout a session tattooing a client in two places; one on her wrist and one on her ribcage. One might think his demeanor as intense or intimidating due to the plethora of inkings covering his arms, the wide gage piercings in his ears, and his all black outfit, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

His overall sense of calm and congeniality shone through his professionalism while working on his client who was visibly nervous for her inking. Vizi talked her through every step of the tattoo, creating a positive atmosphere in the room. Covered in a deep red hue, the walls of his studio are adorned with a variety of different tattoo sketches and posters, along with rows of ink color options from which the customer can choose. For someone who has been in the tattoo game for over 12 years now, Vizi has tattooed many people from all walks of life. Azulay says that he has “seen more people, including religious Israeli Jews, start to get tattoos and they’re wanting to do this to show a personal statement with it.” He adds that lots of people are rejecting the outdated idea that Judaism and tattoos are not compatible and just choosing to do what they like with their bodies. 

HAIFA-BASED tattoo artist Yasmine Bergner spoke about the history of tattooing and how there is a relationship in the Jewish religion with body modifications, saying, “I have researched tattoos throughout history, specifically regarding their relationship with Judaism, and I found that in the first century there were Hebrew rituals going on that related to body markings.” 

“In kabbalistic rituals, people would sometimes mark their bodies with ancient Hebrew letters,” she said. Yasmine added that while people don’t know for sure if it was permanent body ink or a henna-like tattoo, there is a known history in relation to the Jewish people that “the current more institutionalized practice of religious Judaism often disregards.” Along with the mention in the Torah against tattoos, Yasmine mentions that many Jewish people believe it to be disrespectful or uncomfortable to get a tattoo due to Jews forcibly being tattooed in the Holocaust. Yet despite this, as time moves on and gets further from the Holocaust, more people are opening up to tattooing because “they can still remember and respect the people in Holocaust without prohibiting themselves to get a tattoo that they want,” Yasmine said. 

With Israelis having a culture of traveling after the army, many get inspired while they are abroad to get a tattoo that may memorialize their travels or because they realized tattooing is a common and beautiful practice. “It’s much more common now to see people with tattoos unless it’s a religious family in Israel,” Yasmine said. 

Tattoos have different significance to different people; they can be a symbol with deep meaning to some or simply a fun design to another. Dr. Suzi Kagan expressed that even regarding those people who get a tattoo that seemingly has little to no deep meaning, the tattoo itself has distinguished the individual and allows them to make a statement with their body. “The tattoo is a means to declare to the world something about yourself,” she said. 

 

As an artist, Yasmine agrees that many tattoos are a visual representation of a deeper and meaningful part of the individual getting the inking. She states that in the 12 years of her tattoo career, she approaches the art of tattooing as a talisman of empowerment and always works with the client to portray an image through the tattoo that they will love forever. Her favorite type of tattooing to see and to do on someone is called sacred geometry. “I also love tribal and indigenous styles from all across the world. These styles as well as sacred geometry portray the basic structures of every phenomenon in nature and can portray a meaningful part of a person’s life,” she says. 

However some don’t view their tattoos with such gravity. “What is the meaning behind your tattoo?” is probably the most asked question people get, but for many it is unnecessary, as not all inkings have a special significance to one’s life. Koby Brinn, a 27-year-old Israeli living in Tel Aviv has multiple tattoos on his abdomen and arms but explains that they don’t all have some deep meaning to him.

“I got a half sleeve when I finished my senior year of high school, my friend was a tattoo artist so we agreed he could do whatever on my arm as long as it was within my boundaries. I still like it today, it’s just free art and flowers. I also have an angel baby with wings that doesn’t have a lot of meaning. I just think it looks nice and is aesthetic,” he said. 

And while tattoos have become more common in Israeli society and well accepted, there are still those who opt not to get one despite the lack of taboos surrounding it. Israeli-American Amalia Kamien does not yet have tattoos but states that she would get one if she knew of something she would never get tired of being on her body permanently. When asked what she thought about Jews getting tattoos despite the traditional taboos of them she says that “I think people are becoming more okay with tattoos, I think they are quite nice if they are tasteful. But older people who are still very prejudiced might judge those who have tattoos, especially if they are in the position of hiring someone.” She added that “Hebrew and Jewish tattoos are sort of ironic” and it’s more funny to her than distasteful. 

Rom Bardugo from Rishon Lezion says that he respects anyone with a tattoo and thinks it is a beautiful way to express oneself, but he personally would not get one because he doesn’t want to get something he could regret. He added that his father has a tattoo but whenever he visits his family he covers it up out of respect due to the fact that the older generations have not warmed up to tattoos as much as the younger generation has. 

Hod Hasharon native Bar Pinchas echoed the same feeling about the older generation’s disdain for body markings, saying that during her childhood her parents always told her not to get a tattoo. Yet she said that “once I got one they didn’t say anything against it. They actually like it! I think because they grew up in a very religious environment they didn’t want me to have one, but now they don’t care.”

As Israel continues to be a groundbreaking nation and works toward a less traditional and more progressive ideology, Kagan believes that “more and more parents are allowing their children to have the self expression of getting tattoos, sometimes parents are even getting inked with their kids.” 

With the continuing progressive movement in Israel, the next generation will be even more open-minded to tattoos – only increasing the number of people who have them.