I remember reading an article about the tattoo issue in the Washington Jewish Week a few years ago. Basically tattoos are getting more accepted, and the majority of Jewish cemeteries couldn't care less if you were tattooed or pierced like a punk rocker. I'll see if I can dig the article up for you.
About the wicked child's question, suburbaknght is on the right track. The question was along the lines of "What do your rituals mean to me." He starts by drawing a boundary between himself and the community, instead of asking "What to our rituals mean to me, basically implying that however the question is answered, he still won't be a part of the community
( ... )
And to specifically address your question, I'll excerpt a paragraph: "If a nonobservant Jew is permitted to be buried in a Jewish cemetery," he said, "then [a tattooed Jew] is no different. We, of course, would prefer that you not be tattooed, but ... it's not such a fundamental precept that it would make you 'not Jewish.' You're still a Jew."
That's a rabbi from an orthodox sephardic congregation in the DC area.
About the wicked child's question, suburbaknght is on the right track. The question was along the lines of "What do your rituals mean to me." He starts by drawing a boundary between himself and the community, instead of asking "What to our rituals mean to me, basically implying that however the question is answered, he still won't be a part of the community ( ... )
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http://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=3909&SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&S=1
And to specifically address your question, I'll excerpt a paragraph:
"If a nonobservant Jew is permitted to be buried in a Jewish cemetery," he said, "then [a tattooed Jew] is no different. We, of course, would prefer that you not be tattooed, but ... it's not such a fundamental precept that it would make you 'not Jewish.' You're still a Jew."
That's a rabbi from an orthodox sephardic congregation in the DC area.
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