He Was a Violent Neo-Nazi Leader. Then He Found Out He Is Jewish.

About this episode

Frank Meeink shares his journey from a violent neo-Nazi leader to discovering his Jewish ancestry and his work in deradicalization.

Join The Hidden Third Patreon today! patreon.com/thehiddenthird Frank Meeink's life runs parallel in many ways to one of the most powerful films ever made about hate in America — American History X. Except his story is real. By 16 he was one of the most notorious skinhead gang leaders on the East Coast. By 17 he had his own cable TV show preaching white supremacy. By 18 he was doing hard time in an Illinois prison for kidnapping and beating a teenager. In prison, a friendship with a Black inmate put the first cracks in his beliefs. After his release, a Jewish furniture dealer hired him — swastika tattoo and all — and treated him with more dignity than anyone ever had. Then the Oklahoma City bombing pushed him the rest of the way. He walked into the FBI and told them everything. But the biggest twist came later. A DNA test revealed he had Jewish ancestry. The man who once believed Jews were the root of all evil now keeps kosher and studies Torah. In this episode, Mariana sits down with Frank to talk about his time in the neo-Nazi movement, his deradicalization work, his memoir Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead, and his life today — including his marriage to Allison Mack, the…

People in this episode

Host: Mariana van Zeller

Guest: Frank Meeink

Topics covered

• neo-Nazism
• deradicalization
• identity
• Jewish ancestry
• hate
• personal transformation

Keywords

• neo-Nazi
• Jewish
• hate
• deradicalization
• American History X
• Frank Meeink
• Allison Mack
• FBI
• NXIVM

Sponsors

Huel

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: FBI, NXIVM

Products: Huel

Books & works: American History X, Autobiography of a Recovering Skinhead

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