Former neo-Nazi Arno Michaelis and social media activist Montana Tucker took to Southern California’s Santa Monica Pier on Monday to talk to people about antisemitism and the Holocaust.
Footage of the event, which was recorded on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, featured the social media activist and ex-neo-Nazi talking to people on the pier as Tucker held a sign reading “I am the grandchild of Holocaust survivors, let’s talk” and Michaelis held a sign saying, “I am a former Neo Nazi, let’s talk.”
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The video was published on Instagram by Tucker along with pro-Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs and Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), an NGO dedicated to countering antisemitism around the world.
Asked about his experience as a neo-Nazi, Michaelis explained, “I was a neo Nazi from the time I was 16 until I was 23. It was a miserable time in my life. I tried to kill myself twice during that seven-year span. I really believe that hate could become an addiction as well.”
Michaelis went on to recall how he used to think that there was an ancient Jewish plot to eradicate white people.
Transitioning from hate
Michaelis reflected on how, as a young man who harbored anti-Jewish sentiments, he found it difficult to maintain those feelings when the Jews he knew were kind to him and provided him with his livelihood.
“I had a Jewish boss who, rather than fire me for wearing a swastika to go to his factory, he said ‘ ah,he's a good kid. He's just going through a phase,’” Michaelis continued. “And so it made it really hard for me maintain these false narratives about Jewish people, when the actual Jews I knew in my life were super kind to me, and I actually had a means of supporting myself because of their kindness.”
“Once I opened myself up to people, and I allowed kindness to work through the armor that I had put up, I saw that we're all unique individuals,” the former neo-Nazi added. “Once I took responsibility for my own life, rather than blame Jews for everything wrong, everything started to get better.”
“As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, I feel a deep responsibility to share their stories and ensure the lessons of the Holocaust are never forgotten,” CAM quoted Tucker as saying. “Standing alongside someone like Arno, who represents the power of transformation and redemption, shows that even in the darkest places, there’s hope for change. Together, we’re proving that education and honest conversations can break down barriers and create a path toward understanding and unity.”
CAM is a global coalition engaging more than 850 partner organizations and five million people from a diverse array of religious, political, and cultural backgrounds in the common mission of fighting antisemitism.