Testimonials
What People Say
"I am honoured and grateful to share an event which I could never have imagined happening when I set out, in 2018, to make a film called “Meeting the Enemy”. In the course of making that film, I met Jeff Schoep, who was then the head of one of the largest white supremacist groups in the US. In a dialogue held by Nobel Peace Center in Oslo recently, Jeff and I were given the opportunity to share the story of what resulted; a truly unexpected friendship. Jeff and I were willing to sit across from each other, despite our profound differences, and what transpired proved that dialogue, empathy and listening can produce positive results. Jeff has now left the white extremist movement and is working to promote cohesion and understanding; and I am proud to call him a brother."
Deeyah Khan
Emmy, Bafta & Peabody award winning documentary filmmaker, Founder of Core Library & Fuuse Films
"I was connected with Jeff by my dear friends Deeyah Khan and Daryl Davis. Both are heroes and teachers of mine. Both are legendary in the field of Peacebuilding. Both feel that Jeff deserves a chance to redeem himself. Having been given a chance to redeem myself from the same breed of hate that Jeff is recovering from, who am I to not follow their example? I spent a couple of days taking with Jeff in person, and I believe his desire to change, and to repair the harm he's done, is genuine. He has a long way to go. Jeff will need to work very hard for the rest of his life to become a better person, to serve those who have been targets of hate, and to foster healing for himself and for those he's harmed. I wish him all the best on that journey, and look forward to helping him find redemption."
Arno Michaelis
Speaker, Author "My Life After Hate"
“Jeff Schoep was the leader of this country’s largest neo-Nazi organization. Unlike some who abandon that ideology, Mr. Schoep did not retire from white supremacy, he did not resign from it. He renounced it and dedicates his life to removing it from our society. Meeting him the first time in 2016, he told me, “I will fight to the last bullet for my people.” Today he has replaced his fight for exclusion with his love of inclusion and traded in the bullets for his people with words of equality and empowerment for all people. I am proud to welcome Jeff into my circle of close friends.”
"I have worked alongside Jeff on many projects through the Light Upon Light network and am continually inspired by his humility and genuine desire to make amends. I have witnessed Jeff honestly admit to his past wrongs and ask others for their perspectives on various subjects in-order to understand and empathize with them. Jeff has proven to me that no matter how devoted or invested a person may be in a particular cause or belief-system (i.e. Commander of an extremist group), that it is possible to leave and start anew. That disengagement and the process of deradicalization is always an option for anyone that desires change. To completely alter one's life path is not an easy task, and Jeff is showing his true leadership skills by courageous starting anew and inviting others to join him. I am honored to work with Jeff."
Brie Schwartz
Lifestyle Coach & Intervention Coordinator
"I've worked with Jeff for several months now, and I remember I told him that I always be honest with him. I know he had left the movement not too long before I decided to pick up the phone and call the man who's past was so similar to mine - with the difference that I left the movement in 2002 and he in 2019. My deradicalization process took years and I see this in other formers I work with every day.
Even though America loves redemption, it was harder for Jeff than it would have been for the usual former. Can someone change, after leading the National Socialist Movement for 25 years? In the lectures I held at many schools, universities, churches and synagogues I always said that the most hateful and long time leaders in the movement have doubts. And that there is hope if we show compassion. Jeff was the living proof of what I preached.
Many critics either doubt that people can change, or expect the former to become the opposite of what they've been over night. While that rewiring and deradicalization process takes years, an over night change would have rather been proof of his dishonesty. I've seen Jeff being accused of not being reformed (enough), because he just said this last year, or put that on Twitter this year. To me it's proof of an honest change of a man who doesn't pretend this change came over night. As we all are changing every day we sometimes go one step forward just to take two steps back.
And it's the compassion of others that keeps us on track and encourages us to make the next two steps forward.
I've seen Jeff making those steps in his - in my eyes - genuine change, and told him in all my honesty that I got his back, even when he makes two steps back as the human being that he is."
TM Garret
Public Speaker, Radio Personality, Human Rights Activist
"Jeff and I are so different and yet I will always value his friendship and empathy and view him as a living symbol of redemption, proof that America is about second chances."
Larry Kuperman
Director of Business Development, Nightdive Studios
“…I can say from my own experience with Jeff that he’s been one of the most supportive people in my life, I think the reason why is that he’s still kind of learning so much that he approaches a lot of these situations from such a level of humility. When it comes to how he’s going to address people at a synagogue, when it comes to what are the misconceptions that he has had about other cultures for years. Jeff really has a perspective and openness that is something that I think the we could all learn from in some ways and I think it happened as a result of fact that he truly hit his bottom in a movement that did not make sense to him any longer. He did not want to be affiliated with that violence, he didn’t want to pretend to be someone he wasn’t, all of which he had to do when he was involved in that movement. I think when he stepped out of it despite the fact that he lost his power, despite the fact that he lost his protection, all of his friends and his network, and his source of income, Jeff came out of this with an ownership of himself and who he is. And those that are open to Jeff are going to understand and feel the connection and the bond and the fruits of that in some ways as i have, I believe. When I have a family issues Jeff is the person that I turn to talk to many times. Because so often my issues are entrenched in holocaust trauma, it’s something that Jeff can understand, from an entirely different perspective and relate to, and Jeff wants to be one of the people that is making amends and healing, healing the world and healing people like myself…”
Eliza