‘Healing Ink’ helps first responders, survivors of Tree of Life shooting
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They came from as far away as Orlando and New York City – tattoo artists on a healing mission to help those traumatized by the Tree of Life Synagogue shootings.
They are part of an organization called Healing Ink, designed to help terror survivors and families of victims of incidents of mass violence to heal both physically and emotionally.
Those receiving the free tattoos in the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh’s Levinson Hall in Squirrel Hill included first responders and relatives of some of the 11 people shot to death on Oct. 27, 2018.
Twins Eric and Amy Mallinger, 29, of Squirrel Hill, showed up together to each get rose tattoos honoring their grandmother Rose Mallinger, who was 97 when she was shot to death while sitting with her daughter Andrea Wedner during the Saturday morning service. Wedner survived with injuries to her arm.
“This interested me. It’s a good way for some people to really portray their memories,” said Eric, sporting a black Pirates cap. “It’s a good art form and it’s definitely a good way to show your love for somebody or show some sort of significance on your body.”
He said getting the tattoo will definitely help him heal.
After spending a little under an hour lying on a table getting the tattoo applied to his bicep, Eric said, “It feels good. Having her memory is never going to change but showing people how much my grandmother meant to me is definitely a big part of it. It’s more for me showing that now she’s part of me. Now she’s on my body.”
His sister Amy agreed.
“When you see a beautiful piece of art on your body, it shows how a tragedy can turn into something beautiful. It’s definitely healing in that way,” she said.
Some older Jews frown on members of their faith having tattoos, with much of it stemming from the Nazi policy of tattooing numbers on the arms of concentration camp prisoners.
“I think it’s a very outdated part of the Jewish tradition,” said Amy. “A lot of younger people are adapting to new forms of Judaism and we’re making Judaism fit us more than the other way around. There are Orthodox (Jews) who don’t believe in that, and that’s OK. We’re all allowed to have our own opinions about the matter.”
Healing Ink’s president Craig Dershowitz, himself a Jew, is also CEO of its parent organization, Artists 4 Israel. They hold a similar event each year in Israel and in a different American city. So, why did he wait more than three years after the Tree of Life shootings to come to Pittsburgh?
“We don’t do it any less than three years because this is when all the other resources start to disappear,” Dershowitz said. “This is when all the other resources are gone and people forget. We do it for the people who have not yet found healing.”
One of those who has struggled to find healing is North Hills Special Response Team member David Hurak, 40, of West View, who was at the scene of the Tree of Life attack.
“This will bring a sense of closure for me,” he said. “I don’t think it’s the actual tattoo. It’s just being involved in this event. You always remember what happened, what you saw, how you felt. This is a step toward moving on. I ride alone so I think about things a lot, especially when it’s slow.”
Hurak’s chosen tattoo was a tree with roots, leaves and doves coming out of it. “There was so much hate and violence that day. This feels good to be a part of.”
Healing Ink partnered with Pittsburgh’s 10.27 Healing Partnership for the event. Director Maggie Feinstein said Healing Ink reached out to her.
“I had heard really good things, that the people who participated felt like it was an incredibly meaningful experience for both the artists as well the recipients,” she said. “I said to (Dershowitz), ‘I know what you do is meaningful, but I’m not totally sure that it’s going to do as well with our population because Jewish customs are not always supportive of tattoos.’ And he said, ‘let’s see’ and I said, ‘great!’ “
In the end, some 20 people ended up getting tattoos as part of the event.
“This is about them taking control of their story,” said Dershowitz. “For all these people, this thing came about through no fault of their own, it shocked them, it rocked them to their core. This is their opportunity to say, I am in charge now of my destiny, of how I look and how I’m perceived.”