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firstly I understand that tattoos are forbidden in many ways, I am not Jewish, however I come from a christian family whom down the line there are Jewish members down the line.

long story short I also follow a football team that has a massive Jewish connection, And due to family teaching such as my mother showing the importance of Christians showing solidarity towards the Jewish faith. Would it be offensive to a Jewish person to get such a tattoo (star of david with cross). It would be pretty small on my arm I already have a memorial to my grandparents which is in Hebrew (correct translation lol).

Thank you for any input on this matter.

have a nice day/night

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marked as duplicate by mevaqesh, sabbahillel, mbloch, msh210♦ Oct 27 '17 at 5:44

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  • Thanks for your sensitivity in bringing your question here. I don't have enough for a full answer, but I wanted to direct your attention to a question someone asked here regarding wearing a necklace with a similar design to what you're describing - it has specific unfortunate connotations to wear a cross inside a star of David. – Rish Oct 26 '17 at 23:55
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    I don't know anything about your family history obviously but it's possible you could prove yourself to be Jewish according to Jewish law judaism.stackexchange.com/q/52891/759 Whether you believe in that or not is up to you, but it may affect how Jews who do believe in it will view your actions. – Double AA♦ Oct 27 '17 at 0:18
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    I personally would find it offensive as it is connecting a symbol of Judaism with the cross in such a way as to resemble the image of the person on the cross. However, this is my personal feeling on seeing it rather than a full answer (which is why this is a comment only). – sabbahillel Oct 27 '17 at 0:31
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    I would personally find it offensive. Not that I consider it a sacred symbol which you'd be profaning but rather since it's become an identifying mark and perceived so by other religions and nations too, therefore, to intimately associate it, much less than coalescing, with another symbol which stands in utter contradistinction would be a demonstration of insensitivity and provocation. Think of it as tattooing a cross subset in a Black Panther Party emblem. It would be quite infuriating for most conservative [and probably even liberal] Christians. Oíche mhaith. – Oliver Oct 27 '17 at 0:53
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    FYI, I would consider it an insult to your grandparents as (if they were Jewish) it would be stating that their beliefs were false. – sabbahillel Oct 27 '17 at 1:11
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I would find it offensive. First of all, because tattoos are forbidden in Judaism and so putting a Star of David on a tattoo seems ironic at best. Additionally, I dislike having crosses and Stars of David together - sure Christians and Jews have their similarities but we have some big differences that cannot be reconciled, no matter how much missionaries and Jews for J try. Usually such symbols are used by missionaries who try to entice us to their religion and destroy our dear and ancient tradition. You didn't ask for a specific source, so I assume you just want some opinions and input.

(By the way, I am a Jew.)

If you'd like to honor your Jewish ancestors, wear a Star of David necklace or something. But on a more religious level, the best way to show honor to the Jewish people and your ancestors is by doing good deeds and being kind to others; and vocally supporting us and defending us from anti-Semites and missionaries who seek to destroy our religion.

The underlying thing is please do not mix a Jewish symbol with a Christian one. That's offensive.

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  • Thank you for your input as well as opinion :) I greatly appreciate it . I understand at how it could cause offence to others and will now rethink this part of my tattoo, I feel the memorial I have written on my left arm in hebrew is enough on that part and will look into a pendant for my chain. thanks again for clearing up the confusion – Remo Oct 27 '17 at 1:43
  • @Remo - Anytime, achi. Remember to pop in from time to time whenever you have a question about Judaism. :) Louis Armstrong wore a Star of David around his neck to honor a Jewish family who took care of him when he was a child. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Armstrong#Religion – ezra Oct 27 '17 at 1:45
  • "First of all, because tattoos are forbidden in Judaism and so putting a Star of David on a tattoo seems ironic at best" I'm not sure how obvious that is for someone who's not Jewish. (I completely agree that the cross is offensive though.) It's probably even allowed for someone who wants to convert to specifically get a Star of David tattoo first when he's still allowed to, then convert. It's weird, but I don't see anything technically wrong with it. – Heshy Oct 27 '17 at 12:36
  • @Heshy - That's why I said it was ironic at best. – ezra Oct 27 '17 at 17:52
  • smug comments on here is really funny. – Remo Oct 27 '17 at 22:53

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