Do Jewish Cemeteries Still Exclude Tattoos?

The taboo against body ink remains powerful, even among largely secular Jews. Tattooing is an explicit prohibition from the Torah, but those who violate this prohibition may be buried in a Jewish cemetery and participate fully in all synagogue rituals. The Torah explicitly forbids a Jew from getting a tattoo, but getting a “decorative” tattoo is not illegal.

Three different positions emerged: exclude the ashes of cremated Jews from a Jewish cemetery, permit their internment in a Jewish cemetery, or permit the burial but in a separate section. Eight rabbinical scholars interviewed for this article said it’s an urban legend, most likely started because a specific cemetery had a policy against tattoos. There is no basis in Jewish law for someone with a tattoo not being allowed to be buried in a Jewish cemetery. It is not legal for a tattoo to be given to anyone under the age of 18 in.

While the Jewish community might still be divided over tattoos, the prohibition against burying a tattooed person in a Jewish cemetery is a myth. Caring for the body after death is also a mitzvah, and we don’t exclude people in our communities from that care simply because of markings on the skin. The Torah does state that you should not desecrate the body, but this does not exclude one Jewish person cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery if they have tattoos.

The answer is yes. While getting a tattoo is forbidden, once one has one, there is no law that he/she cannot be buried in a Jewish cemetery. Jewish law does prohibit permanent tattoos, but if a tattoo does not reflect idolatrous practice, there is no consequence or sanction against the individual. The admission or notation of someone with a tattoo is up to individual cemeteries and synagogues.