When we think of tikkun olam—healing the world—big tattoo artists like Ami James probably aren’t the first people who enter our minds, right? Well, perhaps our minds should change, because despite appearances, Ami James is practicing tikkun olam on a daily basis.

The passionate, animal-rights activist and lifelong pet owner is currently collaborating with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) in an exciting new ad campaign. The “Ink Not Mink” campaign is bringing attention to the cruelty of the fur industry that is, unfortunately, directly linked to our American designer-clothing industry.

Ami James is best known for the 40 colorful tattoos that adorn his body and his hit television series on TLC, Miami Ink, which has a solid four seasons under its belt. The show follows the lives and work of five talented tattoo artists and their clientele in Miami, Fla. James is both an artist on the show and a producer for the series. And while these are the things people know about Ami, or can easily find out about him, his love of animals and his hate of animal cruelty may not be as obvious.

Born in Israel in 1972, Ami served in the Israeli Special Forces before moving to the States. His love of animals began at a very young age. His mother owned a pet shop and his family always had numerous dogs and, at times, too many cats to count in their household. His first job, at age 12, was grooming the pets in his mother’s shop, a job that led to both his work ethic and passion for animals, and he stuck with it until he was 18 and entered the military. And while Ami says he’s had over 17 dogs in his life and 36 to 40 cats at a time, at this point he owns one dog, Bella, an English bulldog, and two cats, Miss Kitty and Rosie.

When PETA approached Ami to participate in its ad campaign, he jumped at the opportunity. “I was really interested off the bat,” he says. “It was certainly not hard to convince me.” When asked about his purpose in working with PETA, Ami says it’s all about awareness and exposure. Above all else, the campaign is making people aware of the cruel and inhumane ways animals are killed for fashion.

This campaign wouldn’t even exist if the demand for fur wasn’t so high. “If we wouldn’t be wearing mink, nobody would be killing them,” Ami explains. Ami even changed the name of his nightclub for the unveiling of the ad, from “Love/Hate” to “Love Animals, Hate Fur” for the night. Although the title change was temporary, Ami’s anti-fur policy at his establishment is permanent. “We don’t really have a lot of people wearing fur here in Miami,” Ami says with a laugh. “It’s the principle of it and the statement that matter.”

He also says that teens can get involved in easier ways than we might think. Ami suggests that raising awareness takes simple actions—watching Animal Planet and the Discovery Channel, researching products, visiting websites like PETA’s and knowing which designers use fur and which don’t.

When asked about his numerous tattoos and how he reconciles that part of himself within the Jewish community and its stance on body adornment, Ami says simply: “I think in today’s world, there are bigger fish to fry than me and my tattoos. I believe that if I’m a good person, that’s all that matters, and I think I am.”

Ami lives in a religious neighborhood in Miami and says his neighbors, many of whom are Orthodox rabbis, are kind and friendly to this tattooed, Israeli, cat-loving, fur-hating, nightclub-owning mensch.

To find out more about Ami’s ad campaign and PETA, visit peta.org.

Corey Podell is a freelance writer and actress in Los Angeles. She is a frequent contributor to JVibe, Jewish Journal and Hollywood Weekly.