"After About 80 Years, We Removed the Cross Tattoo"

The young man who arrived at "We've Removed It," the tattoo removal center in Rosh HaAyin, appeared confused at first glance. At second glance, he seemed mostly in pain. It was about a week after the horrific surprise attack by Hamas on Israel, and as soon as he entered the clinic, he requested: "I want to remove the tattoo on my arm as quickly as possible."

Eyal Oded, the director of the clinic, noticed the pain in the young man's voice and understood there was an unusual story behind the request. He didn't ask much, but after a few minutes, the young man chose to share. He told of being at the 'Nova' party in Kibbutz Re'im, witnessing the horrifying massacre closely and escaping miraculously, but his good friend was murdered at the party. Now he wants to remove the tattoo on his arm to replace it with the 'Nova' emblem.

"I heard the story and felt mixed emotions," admits Eyal. "On one hand, I was glad the young man would remove the tattoo because a Jew shouldn't have tattoos, but it pained me that he intended to tattoo another one. In the end, I decided to explain the matter to him. I talked to him about how by commemorating his friend with a tattoo, he is actually causing more harm than good, as it is strictly forbidden by halacha. If he wants to commemorate, it's better to donate money or give charity for the elevation of his friend's soul, as that is true commemoration."

Years of Treatments

This story, shared by Eyal, is just one of the many stories that pass through the clinic daily. The clinic, considered unique of its kind, is meant for people interested in removing tattoos, naturally attracting fascinating stories and interesting people.

"I established the clinic with a clear belief that Jews should not have tattoos," Eyal explains, "I aspire to help as many people as possible through it who want to remove tattoos, whether they are baalei teshuva, released prisoners, older Ethiopian women, or anyone else."

What led you to decide to enter this field?

"I am a traditional Jew living in Rosh HaAyin and see many people around me who, at some point in their lives, happened to get tattoos and now wish to remove them, sometimes due to halacha and sometimes for other reasons. The main problem is that there aren't many people in the country who really know how to remove tattoos, and since the need is very large, the market prices are very high. It pained me that people sometimes remain with tattoos until their last day because they simply can't afford it, which led me to open 'We've Removed It' – a tattoo removal center accessible to everyone, providing top-tier professional treatments at very considerate prices. The idea is to make the treatments accessible to anyone who wants them."

What's your secret? How can you offer affordable and quality treatment when others do not?

"The secret is that my business is very small – I set it up in a residential unit at my home, I have no employees and it's just me doing everything together with my wife, who treats women while I treat men. So, I can charge the basic prices because I have almost no expenses, apart from purchasing the machine and all the accompanying equipment."

When Eyal talks about the machine, he refers to a high-cost laser machine accompanied by equipment that costs nearly a million shekels. "Tattoo removal is done through a series of laser treatments," he elaborates, "Usually, a series of treatments is needed lasting about a year and a half with intervals of several weeks between sessions, but there are also cases where the tattoo is stubborn, and then we treat for two years and even three. It depends on the pigment of the tattoo, its location, and the person's health condition, as each reacts differently to the process. In any case, at the end of the treatments, everyone reaches a state where the skin is completely smooth, with no sign of the tattoo."

A Mission at the Clinic

Eyal shares excitedly that just now, an elderly woman who immigrated from Ethiopia completed a series of treatments with them, and at age 80 decided to remove a cross tattoo from her forehead. "When she came to us, about a year and a half ago, she said that the tattoo had been with her since she was a child, but all those years she was afraid to remove it and didn't know where to do it. Now, reaching age 80, she wants to leave the world as a proper Jew, and so she came to us."

In another case, he mentions a person who was at the beginning of his return to religious observance and decided that primarily he wanted to remove all the tattoos on his body, and he had no less than 20 tattoos. "For almost two years he came to us for treatments, and it was so moving when right after the last treatment we learned of his engagement. Soon he will celebrate his wedding, and he told me he feels privileged to enter the canopy with a smooth body without any tattoos."

There was also a case where a young woman who had suffered greatly in her life came to them; she wanted to start a new chapter, and as part of it sought to remove a tattoo that was done against her will and reminded her of all her past. "It was very hard for us to stand by," he recalls, "and when we realized she couldn't afford it, we decided to give her the treatment without charge because her story so touched our hearts."

And what can you say about the pain associated with tattoo removal? Do people not fear it?

"It is indeed an unpleasant process, but from my experience, I can testify that when a person's will is strong, they will overcome the fear and remove the tattoo, particularly since at our clinic we have methods that enable people to go through the process very comfortably and almost without pain."

Is there a way to influence people removing tattoos not to replace them with others?

"As in the case I initially mentioned, indeed there are those who remove a tattoo with the intention of getting a different one. I can't prevent them from doing so, but I try to talk to them and share my experience with so many cases of people who regretted it after realizing the significant problems involved. Some listen more and others less, but I believe the words sink in and at some point, they definitely will take effect."