He’s now an anti-hate lecturer.
A person who used to be really involved in a group that hated people who weren’t white, and who helped shape the character played by Ed Norton in the movie “American History X,” recently found out through a DNA test that they actually have Jewish ancestors.
This person, Frank Meeink, used to lead a group of violent racists during the 1990s, and they were very keen on starting a war between different races.
Now, at 48 years old, Frank has changed a lot. They follow the Jewish religion closely, praying three times a day and wearing special items called tefillin. They go to classes to learn about the Torah, the holy book of Judaism, attend the synagogue, and eat food that follows Jewish dietary laws, which is called keeping kosher.
Meeink found out he was Jewish when a friend said he “looked Jewish,” according to the Jewish Chronicle. Talking to the New York Post, he said, “I just wanted to see if it was true, I wanted to see if it was real.” He also said discovering he was Jewish felt like a “gift from God.”
Meeink discovered that he was 2.4 percent Ashkenazi Jewish through his mother’s maternal great-great-grandmother.
He says that finding out he was Jewish helped him during tough times, like when his son Josh died at 19, his marriage ended, and his mother died from a fentanyl overdose.
He also said, “What I really like about Judaism is that it teaches to love God and that you shouldn’t force your beliefs on others. I want to work on building my relationship with God.”
Meeink grew up in a neighborhood in South Philadelphia where most people were Irish Catholics. His family had problems with alcohol and drugs, and sometimes they were mean to him.
He lived around Black families, and he felt like he didn’t fit in. When he found out about neo-Nazism, he joined right away because he thought it explained why he felt so scared and left out.
When Meeink was 17, he got arrested because he was involved in kidnapping a man and almost killing another one.
While he was in prison for three years, he became friends with Black inmates and started to change his life. He realized he was wrong about his beliefs.
He wants to keep talking about hate and unfairness. He hopes there will be a movie sequel to American History X that shows how he completely changed his life around.