While the claim that tradition forbids those with tattoos from being buried in a Jewish cemetery is without merit, it is indeed true that Leviticus, and rabbinic law, strictly prohibit tattooing. According to Moses Maimonides, the proscription is a response to the pagan practice of inscribing the names of deities on one’s flesh. Menachem Levine suggests some additional explanations:

In the past few decades, the Jewish state has vastly expanded its diplomatic, economic, and sometimes military ties with South and East Asia, while doing its best to stay away from the conflicts that divide the countries in the region. Daniel Samet surveys the potential for these relationships, urging Jerusalem to avoid deepening cooperation with China and instead to focus on cultivating further its alliances-in-the-making with China’s competitors: