0) age and sex
35, Female

1) How would you describe your religious beliefs?
I live and worship in a Reform Jewish community. Some of my beliefs deviate from the norm, but for the most part my beliefs are much the same as my fellow congregants.

2) What do you do that is Jewish?
I consider myself a Jewish artist. I design stained glass windows for synagogues. The symbols I use are based on Jewish interpretation of Torah. I keep an eco-kosher home. My husband and I are raising our son Jewish. We attend services not every week, but somewhat frequently.

3) Why did you get each tattoo and what does each mean?
On May 19th I'll be getting my first tattoo, but it might as well be 4-in-1. I'll be celebrating "double chai"—my 36th birthday. The tattoo is made up of four symbols tied together by swirls of wind, symbolizing the lack of control we have over life and impulsiveness. The first symbol is a Two Spiral, a Celtic knot which represents my connection to the love of my life and my role as a wife. The second, an emerald swallowtail butterfly, representing my connection to my son. The third symbol is a red oak leaf, representing my connection to my father and the strength I've learned from him. The fourth is a red tailed hawk feather, representing my connection to my late mother. I'll be incorporating the shechiyanu through the design in Hebrew font, because I am so grateful for each moment of every day of my life. (There is a longer, more descriptive description of the layers and layers of symbolism in my Tribe.net blog if you are interested.)

4) Why did you get other tattoos that did not have to do with Judaism?
I am a Jew-by-Choice and my heritage is Irish-English-Native American. I feel I am connected to my heritage as deeply as I am my Jewishness.

5) What do you know about tattoos in Judaism?
I know that there are some Jews that are offended by it because of the connection to the Holocaust. Also, slaves were also tattooed. The prohibition of tattooing is found in the Torah: "You shall not make gashes in your flesh for the dead, or incise any marks on yourselves: I am the Lord" (Leviticus 19:28).

6) How do your tattoos connect you with Judaism?
Symbols of nature remind me of Tikkun Olam: "to heal the earth." It's a concept near and dear to my heart. The shechiyanu is the blessing thanking God for having brought us to this time and place, and as I said, I am grateful for every day.

7) What Jewish laws would you say you follow?
I follow those that I feel are just and make sense in our contemporary world. If someone out of the kindness of their heart makes me a meal made with pork, I will eat it because I believe that our laws should not divide us from one another, and to refuse the meal would hurt someone's feelings who only meant well. But my personal prohibitions extend beyond food, unlike traditional kosher laws, and I will not buy products or services from unethical sources. I would prefer to be cremated, and as you already know that is also considered taboo.

8) What does Judaism mean to you?
It is my spiritual home. It is my community and my family. Its teachings root and support me.

9) How did family or friends influence your beliefs?
My mother-in-law is a Rabbi... and she is getting her first tattoo right along with me. (It was her idea!)

10) How important is marrying Jewish?
Not so important. What matters is mutual respect and being willing to compromise. If my son someday wants to marry a non-Jew, I think I'll be okay with that.

11) What historical events affect or have emotional influences on your beliefs?
Despite the fact that I did not grow up Jewish, the Holocaust made a deep impression on me as a child. My sense of justice and ethics is affected by learning about those events.

12) How do you connect with Judaism?
I identify with being Jewish. I am a Jew by my own definition. Who cares what anyone else thinks.