Good morning, afternoon and night. My name is Craig Dershowitz and it will be my incredible good fortune to discuss the circumstances of tattooing within a Jewish social, cultural and religious frame of reference. Being both heavily tattooed (since us "initiated" folk would never trust the words of an "outsider") and a more heavily trained Jewish advocate and community leader, I am often questioned about this seemingly dichotomous set of conditions. Unfortunately, conversations tend to bore me. Instead, I prefer the opportunity to discuss Israel, Judaism, Tattooing, and the common understanding of insider vs. outsider within this large format.

To my methods. as blogging is one giant game of Taboo, with each writer attempting to describe the same general topics without using certain clichéd and tired expressions, I have chosen to appreciate the intellect and seriousness of purpose of the Needles and Sins audience and elevate my dialect accordingly. For this particular pursuit, I vow never to reference "skin-deep," "permanence," or "personal significance." That is if you, soon to be faithful reader, promise to enter this blog ready to invest some serious attention to matters that are equally deserving.

Or, um, we can just have some fun with it.

Sites:
www.artists4israel.org
www.scallywagandvagabond.com

Artist Profile: Claire Reid, Tattoo Nomad
Tattooing the Enemy: Nazi Tattoos
A Brief Look at Forced Tattooing
Holocaust Tattoos and Skin Memorials
Covering the Cover-Up
Top 5 Best Jewish Tattoos
Tattoos & Taboos in Judaism
Make Art Not War
Artist Profile: Yoni Zilber
That is one 'Crazy Cracker'