Tattoos and Jewish Burial

The other day my son and I were listening to NPR when a caller to the show stated that a person with tattoos could not be buried in a Jewish cemetery. My son turned to me and asked, “What about all of the Holocaust survivors who have numbers on their arms”? I gave him my opinion, but we decided to check with you. What is the Halach (Jewish law) on this?

Seeking an more than an inkling, G

Dearest ink,

According to my niece, this caller’s assertion has generated a lot of chatter on the Jewish websites. I too had only an inkling of an answer. I was told growing up that one reason Jewish culture opposes tattoos is that Jews were involuntarily marked in concentration camps, and therefore tattoo by choice was at best abhorrent, at worst disrespectful to the survivors. But, Tanta Golda wants to provide you with facts, so I checked with my sources and this is what I was found:

Eight rabbinical scholars interviewed by the New York Times, from institutions like the Jewish Theological Seminary and Yeshiva University, said it’s an urban legend, most likely started because a particular cemetery had this prohibition. This then got passed on and became generalized to all cemeteries.

Mr. Klaven, a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati is writing his thesis on tattooing in the Jewish tradition. Rabbi Mark Washofsky, one of his thesis advisers, said Mr. Klaven’s work opens up a Pandora’s box of mixed feelings. Historical context is key. When Leviticus 19:28 was written, “You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead nor incise any marks on yourself…” tattooing was largely a pagan practice, done to mark slaves or to show devotion to a pharaoh, according to Mr. Klaven. Since tattooing has evolved, he thinks the rule may be outdated. Ear piercing, he added, is not controversial. (This too seems to be open to interpretation by different rabbis.)

Another Rabbi, Bruce L. Gottlieb, of Sinai Temple, Michigan City, IN wrote on URJ.org/ask, that Judaism teaches us that our bodies belong to God. They are on loan to us and we are responsible for caring for them. Any sort of mutilation of the body is, therefore, prohibited. Tattooing is prohibited, as are some forms of elective cosmetic surgery.

There are criminal offenses that are so heinous as to bar someone from being buried in the Jewish cemetery. A tattoo is not one of those offenses. There is no prohibition against burying someone with a tattoo in the Jewish cemetery.

I hope my darlings that my rabbinical cohorts and I have answered your question. Keep listening, and asking!

Tanta Golda