Everyone who saw Michael Wilson agreed that he was a bit of a freak. (A bit of a freak, you say? If you called him a BIG FREAK, you could be accused of an understatement; after all, Wilson covered his entire body with 35,000 tattoos.) In the carnival world, where he worked until he died in 1996, Wilson was known as the Illustrated Man. "He could attract a crowd by just showing an arm, or even just a finger," says one former carney (a person who works in a carnival). Indeed, long before body piercing and tattooing became popular, "Michael was out there," exclaims his former boss at Coney Island Sideshow.

Although you won't find many people as colorful as Michael Wilson, researchers say 36 percent of adults between 18 and 29 years old have at least one tattoo. Hit TV shows, like TLC's Miami Ink, have propelled body art into a $1.5 billion a year industry. If profits fail to convince you that tattooing is a hot trend, then consider this: Ask.com reports that "tattoo" has been the most popular beauty term searched online since 2003. In contemporary culture, tattoos are no longer taboo.

It's not surprising, therefore, that Jewish teens wonder about tattoos. "They see people with tattoos all the time, and they're curious," says Jason Segelbaum, youth director at Bet Shira Congregation in Miami, Florida, describing reactions from kids in his synagogue youth group. "Their curiosity is strengthened when they hear from their parents that tattoos are forbidden in Judaism." The prohibition is found in the Torah, explains Segelbaum, where it says, "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise (carve) any marks on yourselves: I am God" (Vayikra 19:28). Jewish youth leaders confirm that tattoos spark heated debate. "Last year, one member of our youth group had at least two tattoos, but they weren't visible," says Segelbaum. The best way to deal with this controversial issue is to talk about it, says Judah Kerbel, 16, religion and education vice president of the Hanegev region of United Synagogue Youth (USY). During a regional convention last fall devoted to the concept of b'tzelem Elokim (humans are created in the image of God), the subject of tattoos arose.

"It seemed that most USYers didn't agree with Judaism's prohibition against tattoos," says Judah.

"Many members felt their body belongs to them, and they should be allowed to do whatever they want with it." Others, including Judah, disagreed. He cited the traditional Jewish perspective that our bodies should be viewed as a gift on loan from God. "If I loaned you my favorite book, would you return it with all of your scribbles?" Judah asked. "Besides," he added, "keeping our bodies free of tattoos shows that we regard our bodies as holy."

Tattooed Jews think otherwise. "Tattooing is an enhancement," says a Jewish woman who asked to remain anonymous. "Is there a better way to honor God than to decorate the house God's given us?" Worried that young people might misinterpret her personal example, she clarified her position: "I do not mean for this to be permission for teens to run out and get tattoos."

Though he vigorously disagrees with any perspective that encourages tattoos, Judah refuses to judge people negatively simply because they have a tattoo. "Don't judge a book by its cover," he says, "or in the words of Pirkei Avot, 'Al tistakel b'kankan, elah bemah sheyeish bo. Don't look at the vessel, but what is inside it.'"

Jewishful Thinking
Does a tattoo prevent someone from being buried in a Jewish cemetery? No.

Even though getting a tattoo violates Jewish law, there is no reason to deny burial in a Jewish cemetery to Jews with tattoos, or even to limit their participation in other areas of Jewish life. Jews who violate other Torah prohibitions, such as the laws of kashrut or Shabbat, are still granted burial in a Jewish cemetery, and the prohibition against tattooing isn’t worse. It is only because tattoos are permanent that evidence of the transgression remains on a person’s body after death. The prohibition against tattoos applies only when the act was voluntary. Victims of the Holocaust who were tattooed against their will are not liable for the act.