Some of you may have seen HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” last night. One of the stories was about Larry’s mother’s burial. She was buried in a Jewish cemetary and was moved to the “special” section for murderers and suicides because she had a tattoo on her ass.
Are Jewish cemetaries really this strict or was this just a storytelling device? Hell, I didn’t even know that Jews had such a concept as “consecrated ground.”
Yes, I believe this is true. Tatoos prevent you from being buried in a Jewish cemetary, but I’m sure there are exceptions made, such as for concentration camp survivors. I don’t know if they’d move someone once buried, but I’m sure some cemetaries might.
You know, if you don’t know the answer to a General Question, you should avoid speculating, especially when your answer is wrong.
Telemark, there is no halachic authority that forbids a person with a tattoo from being buried in a Jewish cemetery.
There is a general rule of ain kovrim tzaddik etzel rasha, forbidding the burial of a wicked person next to a righteous person, but no rabbinic authority has interpreted this to exclude a person who is tattooed.
It is true that the Torah forbids tattoos. But like other sins, its commission during life does not exclude the sinner from a Jewish burial.
I think I read something like that when Geraldo mentioned having a tattoo and his mother told him he wouldn’t be allowed to be buried in a Jewish cemetary.
(He has a Star of David on his hand).
Well, it is a common myth then, mentioned in many places.
I found this
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/judaism/FAQ/05-Worship/section-53.html
which mentions that some cemetaries and mortuaries won’t officiate for a person with a tatoo, and to ask at the individual establishment. But you are correct, it doesn’t say that you will be refused burial.
Ironically, the whole premise of Curb Your Enthusiasm is “what will come back and bite me in the ass this time?” Every episode features Larry making some casual or thoughtless remark/gesture and later having it lead to someone screaming oodles of profanity at him.
I see in this episode, they finally moved it from the metaphorical to the literal.