A Polish man who spent his formative years as a skinhead says it wasn't easy to shed his anti-Semitic views and turn to Judaism.
Even so, Pawel Bramson believes unlearning hate is a journey worth taking.
"It's a big process. It's not like in one second, you say, ‘Okay, I am changed,'" he told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday from Montreal, where he's sharing his story of acceptance with others.
Born in Warsaw, Bramson grew up in a devout Catholic family and started associating with a group of skinheads as a teen. Their vehement bigotry grabbed hold of Bramson, and he too, began expressing hatred for Jewish, black and Arab people.
He and his friends had no qualms about voicing their hate; one day, going so far as to vandalize the Auschwitz concentration camp, where Nazis perpetrated incredible atrocities against Jews during the Second World War.
Little did Bramson know, he himself, had Jewish roots.
The truth surfaced when Bramson's wife, a fellow skinhead, started looking into her lineage. Through a bit of genealogical research, she discovered that her maternal grandparents, as well as Bramson's, were Jewish.
Similar stories have been popping up around Poland, where many Jewish families hid their religion after the Holocaust for fear of persecution. At the time, a pervasive subculture that blamed Jews for the nation's economic troubles was still thriving.
Newly acquainted with his family history, Bramson struggled to accept the news.
"It's not a clear situation for me," he said, acknowledging that even today he finds it challenging to understand his identity.
Bramson and his wife began to embrace the culture they once shunned. His wife started serving Shabbat meals and adopting the tenets of Orthodox Judaism, according to an article in The Jewish Press.
Years later, the couple identifies with the people they once regarded as enemies.
"It's my decision," Bramson said in a studio interview, a day after he shared his story with a Jewish organization called "Chabad of Westmount."
Devorah Shanowitz, Chabad's program director, says she invited Bramson to speak to the city's Jewish community because she believes he has an inspiring message to share.
"If one person can change their life, turn it around and go from being bigoted to being open to embracing, that's true for all humanity," she said.
"We need that message today more than ever."
