about

About This Project
This wiki was created in conjunction with a class project for the fall 2012 course, The Evolution of Jewish Law, Custom, and Practice: A Case Study of Tattooing, taught by Rabbi Darby Leigh at the Academy for Jewish Religion.

The purpose of this wiki is serve as a resource for those interested in Jews and tattoos. It is not meant to be comprehensive. Rather, the site explores traditional Jewish texts and additional resources for learning regarding the relationship of Jews and tattoos over time and space. The content may challenge previous perceptions about Jewish law and tradition overall and highlight complexities about how it relates to a particular activity that has often been perceived as strictly taboo. It is hoped that this site will serve as a means to assist those interested in Judaism and tattooing to become more critical connoisseurs of the issues, whether they are researching the subject for academic or for practical purposes. The exploration of this topic and its meaning for contemporary Jews is also a point of engagement through which other religious and existential experiences can be more fully investigated through the richness and complexities of the Jewish lens.

//Please note//: this site is a work in progress.

Submitted by Caren Levine