Former Skinhead: 'It's Like I Was Born Again'

I am posting this interesting inverview in light of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), enjoy!

Shanah Tova!

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Former Skinhead: 'It's Like I Was Born Again'
A onetime Neo-Nazi talks about discovering his Jewish roots and adopting an Orthodox lifestyle.
Interview by Alana B. Elias Kornfeld

Pinchads Zlotosvsky*, 32, didn't always live as an Orthodox Jew. In fact, quite the opposite. Zlotosvsky, who continues to live in Warsaw, Poland, with his wife and two children, was a skinhead before discovering his Jewish identity.

Zlotosvsky joined up with local Polish skinheads when he was 16 years old as a political statement and adopted the racist and anti-Semitic contempt of his peers. So when he found out he came from a family of "hidden Jews"—his mother was sent to a monastery to survive the Holocaust and all of her relatives were reportedly murdered—he told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz that he couldn't look himself in the face for a whole week.

Now that face looks very different—he's adopted a fervently Orthodox lifestyle, not without much struggle and personal conflict. The revelation of his Jewish identity came when he was 21. Since then he says he began "trying to understand the rules to change my life"--referring to the lifestyle blueprint the Torah outlines. Within the last four years he began observing the Torah completely. He currently works in the kosher food industry, controlling the process of preparing kosher food in a government diner near his home.

(...)

What was your religious life like before you found out you are Jewish?

There was none.

How did your life change when you started living as a Jew?

It changed 360 degrees. Everything changes--the food you eat, how you dress, your schedule, when you go to the synagogue. In the beginning, it was really difficult. But, now, it's getting easier because I am getting used to it.

Why did you become a skinhead?

It was more a political matter because in Poland back then, it was more about the voice of the crowd and you felt like it's the right thing to do. But, it was silly and immature.

When you were a skinhead, were you also anti-Semitic?

Yes, of course.

What kind of anti-Semitic acts did participate in?

Mostly, graffiti and demonstrations, stuff like that.

So, nothing violent?

About 15 years ago in Poland, Jews were not that popular to hate, it was more about Arabs and African-Americans. So, no, nothing too violent toward Jews.

How did you react when you found out that you're Jewish?

It was very weird. At the beginning, I didn't know how to react. It was a shock for me.

How did you find out?

It's a long story and it was a total accident. I found out through my wife. She found out she was Jewish and she'd been going to the synagogue for six months. And then my family started asking does she know this person, does she know that person. And then my wife actually went and checked in this Jewish organization called JIH, which is the Jewish Institution of History. She found the records of my family and this is how I found out.


Follow this link for the full interview:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/232/story_23245_1.html