Brief recap: In high school and unable to fit in, Daly joined a group that was anti-racist but later snowballed into a neo-Nazi group. By then, he was in too deeply to get out. No one knew he was Jewish except a “trusted friend” who one day told the leaders. This led to John being dragged to the waters of Daytona Beach where he was beaten, thought to be drowned and left for dead. Miraculously, he survived and testified in court against the group. His testimony resulted in long prison terms for the state leader of the organization, the Florida leader of the White Aryan Resistance and leaders of groups across the US. It also marked the end of the North Florida chapter of the American Front and several other major racist networks.
As soon as possible, fearing promised retribution for “not dying,” going to the police and his damaging court appearance, John made aliyah to Israel, winding up in Ashkelon. After learning Hebrew in ulpan, he enrolled in Ashkelon College and earned a degree in sociology and political science followed by a master’s degree in public policy and administration.
John’s amazing life story has been told in many local and international news/magazine articles. A documentary about his life, Escape From Room 18, is often aired on Yes Docu, especially during Holocaust Memorial Day. The earlier Jerusalem Post articles also appeared in the paper’s international edition and have been read by high school students in Europe, the US and Canada. Over the years, John has received letters and emails from those pupils and their teachers in addition to other readers all around the world.
AS IF his life couldn’t be any more dramatic, in December 2009, at age 36, John had an epileptic seizure for the first time in his life – and not just any seizure but a grand mal. After several tests, doctors told him that he had a tumor resting on his right frontal lobe and would need “awake brain surgery.” This relatively rare operation was a must since John had to be able to follow the surgeon’s orders and answer questions during the surgery. John was assured that since only 1% of patients undergoing this procedure feel any pain, it was very unlikely he would feel anything even though he would not be anesthetized and his head would be held in a vise. But during the procedure, John did indeed feel excruciating pain and had another grand mal seizure. This forced the surgeons to stop operating after excising only one part of the tumor.
Although John had been put on a regimen of epilepsy medication, the seizures did not stop. In fact, they were becoming more frequent and potentially fatal and “awake surgery” had to be performed again and this happened right before John’s 41st birthday. This time, thankfully, it was relatively painless, but only a portion of the tumor was successfully removed. It was not possible to reach it all.
John Daly still has seizures, but fortunately, they aren’t as aggressive as earlier on. The tumor is still snuggled against his brain, but this hasn’t stopped him from his dedication to being an active advocate against antisemitism, hatred and racism. Far from it. Up until COVID took over our lives, John had been going on speaking tours throughout Europe and Canada, the US and here in Israel. His audiences are made up of university students, high school pupils, church and synagogue groups, pro- and not-so-pro-Israel groups. Besides Jewish audiences, he has met with Muslim, Protestant, Roman Catholic groups and even atheists. During corona, John’s speaking engagements have become Zoom events. He has also been approached to be the subject of a graphic novel and a second documentary. Law enforcement, including undercover forces (it sounds real good) here and abroad have often contacted John to help them decipher hate-gang tattoos found on suspects.
Although his tumor causes John to tire easily, he reads and studies up on extremist groups, especially those in North America and Europe.
“In the 30 years since my story unfolded, sadly, nothing has changed. The haters are still championing the same hate today that they did then, but they are more dangerous now than ever.
“They won’t forget that I was responsible for closing them down in Northern Florida and sending their leaders to prison. The seven I sent to jail have completed their prison sentences and frankly, I would be totally shocked if they left the organization. The unspoken and very possible revenge on my actions is a constant, but that doesn’t scare me. These groups have long arms that reach all over the world and retribution is part of their unwritten by-laws. It’s a given that I’ve got to be alert at all times – and I am. ”
AT AGE 47, having been living with the tumor and its effects for nearly 12 years, John tires easily, yet goes for long walks every day, listening to stand-up comedians or music on his phone. His gait is a bit off and he has to be careful while walking. He tires easily and his eyesight is getting weaker. The vision out of one eye is double, his eyeglasses cost a small fortune and aren’t doing the job. They can be made up by only a few opticians in the country since the prescription is very complicated. John has also been waiting months for an appointment with a neuro-ophthalmologist in Ashkelon’s Barzilai’s Hospital, but the waiting list is very long. As for the growth of his brain tumor, it’s a “watch and wait” existence, yet John is still planning to fly out to his scheduled events abroad and do Zoom on the side. In March, his doctors cleared him for getting the COVID vaccine and both “jabs’’ were thankfully uneventful experiences.
During John’s most recent visit to his neurosurgeon this month and his most current brain MRI, doctors decided that he needs a third awake brain surgery for epilepsy and oncology purposes. The procedure has been scheduled for November so that John can go on a planned extended speaking tour that starts in Bruges, Belgium. For John, making the world aware of the prevalence of racism and fighting antisemitism are more important than the surgery, and since, thankfully, the tumor has not grown, the operation can wait six months.
John doesn’t let the fact that he’s living with a cancerous tumor resting on his brain stop him. He goes on with his life, almost proud of the scar that goes from the left side of the top of his head to the right, wearing it as a badge of honor. Meanwhile, John’s family and friends also “watch and wait” and, like their hero, go on with their lives, all the while worrying quietly but keeping it to themselves. And they pray for his well-being, amazed and proud how that nothing stops him in his fight to do what he can so that “never again” is truly “never again.”