(VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
Yonatan, whose former name was Lutz, was a staunch neo-Nazi, one who would greet his colleagues by saying “Heil Hitler”. Today, in an amazing transition, he is a religious Jew in Germany, he is doing a tikun for his former life, seeking to make up for the evil that he was a party of before changing his life.
In the KAN News report in Hebrew, he explains deciding to become a right-wing extremist as a boy, and at the age 14, when he began martial arts training, he met his neo-Nazi instructor, who has a profound influence on him. He explained how he was influenced and indoctrinated to hate Jews. He explains how neo-Nazis still deny the Holocaust.
However, one day he had a dream, in which the word “Kabbalah ” appeared, and he then probed to find the meaning of the dream. This brought him increasingly often to the Kabbalah Center, where he made friends. He met with “people who just wanted to do good, positive people”, leading to spending more time away from the city and at the center. The light, love and optimism he explains was contagious, and led to him wishing to become Jewish. The process took three years, and about 18 months ago, he completed the process, had a bris, and became Jewish. He even changed his legal name in his state identity card.
One of his new friends, Chezi Netanel, explains they became friends almost immediately, and he is not concerned with his past, what he used to be, because today, one sees who he is, his new face.
He spends much of Chanukah in the Kabbalah Center, stating it is his favorite holiday. Since becoming Jewish, he visited Israel numerous times annually. His first visit to Yad Vashem was simply an eye-opener, stating the Holocaust “was a tragedy”.
For Yonatan, he hopes to complete his process in two months, by moving to Israel, and his wish is that the people there will be able to forgive his past. He hopes after the move, he will be able to delve deeper into his Torah study.
Portions of the video are in German, Yonatan speaking, with Hebrew subtitles.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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14 Responses
בני בניו של המן היה לומד תורה בבני ברק
“Kabbalah Center” Isn’t that Berg’s Hollywood phony kabbala business?
Too bad he didnt find real Judaism.
Didn’t another Nazi, Klu Klux Klan member try to convert to Judaism and he was turned down? Why is he different? Anyway, a Kabbalah Center doesn’t sound like an Orthodox institution to me. That’s why they converted him so easily.
I must follow up on uncle Ben’s important point. The Kabbalah center has been clearly and strongly disapproved of by all Rabbonim. Also, the negatives of the place scream out at you to such a clear degree that you don’t need to check out what the Rabbonim have said.
Now, it seems this person was converted correctly ( from the article), and the fact that he was ” turned on” by the center is irrelevant. People can be turned on to Truth in many ways. Ywn should clarify that they don’t support the so called Kabbalah center
even so, it is a incredible story
I personally am aware of one “Kabbalah Center” which was started up by Chabad in order to combat Berg’s Avoda Zara institution — by using the same name, they attract many curious visitors (they are located in Tzfas, where very many tourists pass through ever single day).
It is possible that this “Kabbala Center” is a similar institution, but it should definitely be verified by YWN.
It looks like his giyur was valid, but he’s still heavily involved in the cult. The siddur he’s shown davening from is their siddur, which needs geniza, and saying pesukim in the mikveh is not a normal practice. One can only hope that when he moves to EY he’ll find a proper influence and drop this awful cult.
Was he a ‘frum” Jew when he kissed the woman in the kabbalah center? Or was he just another goy learning kabbalah with Berg?It could be he was a goy then. From the teffillin, he seems to be a frum Jew, although he says the brochoh -al mitzvas (55 seconds in) long after putting on the shel rosh, with no ‘boruch shem’. Whoever is teaching him Judaism needs to do a better job…..
his shel rosh is also far too forward and is possul for the mitzvah……
This is an uninspiring article. It never deserved to see the light of day.
Wonder how he merited such a dream.
Why cant you guys just be happy that someone actually found the truth and is now not trying to opress klal yisroel but is now part of it instead of critisizing everything!!
And under whose authority did he megastar? ” rabbi” Berg?
Meant at times I hate autocorrect.