The eight rabbinical scholars interviewed for this article, from institutions like the Jewish Theological Seminary and Yeshiva University, said it’s an urban legend, most likely started because a specific cemetery had a policy against tattoos. Jewish parents and grandparents picked up on it and over time, their distaste for tattoos was presented as scriptural doctrine.

Rabbi Alan Bright, a spokesman for the Jewish Funeral Directors of America, dismissed the cemetery adage as “a load of rubbish,” but he said that tattooing was a no-no. He quotes Deuteronomy 4:15, which commands Jews to take care of their bodies, as evidence. But he noted that Jewish law prohibits many things that secular Jews do without a second thought. “The Torah prohibits anything negative that affects the body,” he said. “Smoking is more of a violation of Jewish law.” As are drinking alcohol in excess and overeating.

Ankle tattoos are for girls. 😛

Make is manly. Have it ripping out of your chest our something. 😉

Hahahaha, what about Leviticus 19:28 "YOU must not put tattoo marking upon yourselves. I am Jehovah." I think that puts a finer point on it. I'm surprised that was not quoted, it's in the Pentateuch and everything!

Plenty of tatood jews were buried in the 2nd world war....................get a life and get with the times......

The Torah does say it's forbidden to "incise marks on your body," which sounds exactly like tattooing to me, so I don't think there's really much wiggle room as to whether getting tattoos is forbidden to Orthodox Jews. It is.

I agree that the cemetery ban never existed, though. If they couldn't bury anybody who'd ever sinned, cemeteries would go broke, and not just the Jewish ones.

Growing up Jewish, I was told often that orthodox cemeteries would not bury anyone with piercings or tattoos, but basically any other Jewish cemetery would. This is one of those things I just believed without question and am very surprised to find is untrue. Anyways, I'm currently in the process of designing my first tattoo.

What about Jews who were tattooed against their will during the Holocaust?

Lennie Bruce help spread this. He did a routine about coming back from the military with a tatoo. His aunt said that she was upset that he could not be buried in a Jewish Cemetary. He said not to worry. Upon his death his arm would be cut off and buried with the Gentiles.