Fun with Urban Legends (Part 1)

I was on the subway today when I saw a Jewish guy with a Jewish sleeve tattoo.  There is something ironic about a tattoo that says "[The Torah] is a tree of life to those who hold onto it," when the Torah also prohibits tattooing.  In any event, the sight inspired me to start a series of posts on urban legends.  These will include both false stories Jews believe, as well as false stories gentiles believe about Jews.  So without further ado, I present you with

Urban Legend #1: A person with tattoos may not be buried in a Jewish cemetery

Source: http://www.eviltattoo.com/

The way the story goes, a Jew who has a tattoo cannot be buried in a Jewish graveyard.  An exception is made for Holocaust survivors because they were tattooed against their will.  A grisly variant of the story even says that funeral homes will cut tattoos out of the skin before burial.  The recent trend of young Jews getting tattoos with religious symbolism is bringing this story back to prominence.  It is not at all obvious why anyone believes this.  Sure, tattoos are forbidden, but they are not any more forbidden than eating pork or lying under oath.  Why would violating this one commandment be so egregious that those who do it cannot be buried among their own people?

The answer, of course, is that it is total rubbish.  Interestingly, the only Jews I have heard who believe this are American.  Israelis have never even heard of such a thing, and secular Israelis often get tattoos.  One theory I have heard is that the story was told by nervous parents to stop their children from assimilating completely.  This would explain why the story doesn't exist in Israel, but it does not explain why tattoos.  Another theory is that, following the Holocaust, tattoos developed such a negative association in the older generation that the urban legend developed in order to prevent younger, more removed generations from opening old wounds.  This makes slightly more sense; when writing notes on ourselves in pen, my friends and I were frequently exhorted not to write on our forearms (hands were okay, though).  One might think, if this were the case, that the same story would also have developed in Israel.  However, geographic distance and the fact that Israelis are generally more knowledgeable about Judaism could explain this discrepancy.

For the sake of completeness, here is a summary of the rules on tattoos in Jewish law.

1.  Tattoos are forbidden.  Scarification, henna, and the like are permitted.
2.  If it is necessary to save a life or prevent death, tattoos are permitted.  Example include surgical tattoos.
3.  There is no obligation to get a tattoo removed once it has been applied.
4.  If you have one of the names of God tattooed on you, you can never be naked again.  Really.