Tattoos of Resilience: Artists Volunteer to Ink Israel’s October 7 Survivors

On a solemn Thursday in Tel Aviv, tattoo artists gathered with a mission steeped in healing. They offered free tattoos to survivors of the October 7 attacks, hoping their art could serve as a beacon of strength. This initiative, a project of the nonprofit HEALING INK, brought together twenty tattooists—half from Israel and half from abroad. Their goal was clear: to transform trauma into resilience.

HEALING INK, founded in Israel in 2016, has expanded its mission beyond the country’s borders, aiding victims of mass shootings in the U.S., including the tragic 2017 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas. The organization planned a second tattoo session in Jerusalem, expecting about 100 participants, including survivors from the Nova Music Festival and relatives of hostages.

“These tattoos symbolize reclaiming one’s life,” said Craig Dershowitz, director of HEALING INK. “They declare, ‘This is my body, my life. No terrorist will rob me of that.’”

Ilay Ben Shimon, a Haifa tattoo artist, participated in providing survivors with a chosen scar, contrasting the unchosen ones they bear. He tattooed a sun emerging from tree roots for a Nova festival survivor who had fled Hamas militants for hours, hiding among pepper trees. Ben Shimon, who joined the IDF reserves in response to the massacre, found his work more in demand post-war, noting the joy his tattoos bring.

Shani Genish, known as “Vespera,” volunteered to help because her brother survived the Nova festival, and she believes in the healing power of tattoos. She tattooed an abstract brush stroke from a survivor’s ring finger to their shoulder, symbolizing love and life. Genish herself is contemplating a tattoo with a positive message in response to the war’s impact.

Yoni Zilber, a Jewish tattoo artist from New York, brought along five non-Jewish, non-Israeli friends to volunteer, aiming to counter the anti-Israel sentiment they witnessed online. Zilber tattooed a Nova Festival survivor who had narrowly escaped death, hiding under an orange tree with her boyfriend. Her tattoo, depicting the birds perched above them, was her first light since the traumatic day. Soon after, she left for reserve duty in Gaza.

“In 30 years of tattooing, this was the most important tattoo I ever did,” said Zilber, who, though too old for reserve duty, found his way to contribute through his art.

In these acts of ink and empathy, survivors find new symbols of strength, carrying forward with marks of resilience etched into their skin.