Former Neo-Nazi speaks at Chabad

About 500 people across the UK came out to hear former Neo Nazi Pawel – Pinchas Bromson of Warsaw, Poland, tell his dramatic story for the first time in public, organised by Chabad on Campus UK, about his conversion from being a Neo-Nazi, radical hater of foreigners, including Jews and Arabs, until he discovered that he and his wife were themselves Jewish.

The story began when his wife brought home a stack of papers from Warsaw Museum that identified both their matrilineal lines as Jewish. Pawel said, he couldn’t look himself in the mirror for weeks and did not know how to deal with it. He eventually plucked the courage and with trepidation went to the Warsaw synagogue and was guided on his journey to embrace Orthodox Judaism and a fully observant lifestyle.

When he was asked about his former friends, he responded that he used to have two hundreds and now has just four. He conceded that he meets with one or two of his old friends occasionally, who have accepted his transformation but for most of them he would be considered a traitor and would put him and his family in danger.

Pawel offered some insight into the problem of Anti-Semitism that exists in these groups. He said most of these people don’t really hate others; it is just a social pressure whereby you are made to think in a certain way. He says, he now tells his children never to use the word hate, reflecting his repulsion to his old ways.

Regarding Anti-Semitism in Poland, he said that it does exist but whereas in the past, when he was active in the skinhead movement in his twenties, it was in the open, today it is hidden and people are ashamed of it. He does not attribute the smashing of graves and painting swastikas to Anti-Semitism but rather hooliganism, as the next day they will be doing this to non-Jewish graves. Also, if they were truly Anti-Semitic they would not be doing this at night when it is impossible to identify the perpetrators, he postulated; they should be proud of their views and commit these things in the open.

He spoke in length about being Jewish in Poland today. He said that he feels very proudly Polish and also Jewish. However, he is saddened that other Polish people do not allow him to identify as Polish, now that he leads an observant Jewish life. He said that to be Polish, in the eyes of Poles, you must go to Church. This presents him with the dilemma, whereby he would like to feel proud of being Polish but is not allowed to; he indicated that he will eventually leave Poland , as his children live abroad.

Melissa Freidman, a student in Oxford, commented that Pawel’s talk was sincere and inspirational to Jewish students, urging them to confront challenges and be proudly Jewish.

Chabad on Campus UK Chairman and Director of Chabad of Oxford, Rabbi Eli Brackman, organised the tour and Pawel was hosted, in addition to the Oxford Chabad Society Slager Jewish student centre, at Goldsmiths University, University of London, hosted by Rabbi Dovid Cohen of Chabad South London Campuses, and at the Holy Law Synagogue in Manchester, hosted by Rabbi Levi Cohen of L’chaim organisation, affiliated with Chabad of Manchester.

Rabbi Brackman said “this is a remarkable and inspirational story of Jewish discovery and pride despite all odds and should be told to students on campus as broadly as possible. Chabad on Campus UK was pleased to have this opportunity.”

Kendal Palmer, Goldsmiths student said “this was one of the highlights of our year- we are grateful to Rabbi Dovid Cohen of Chabad South London Campuses for organizing this amazing event.”