Phase 2 of GammaSwap Summer is now live! 👇

A little personal lore for anyone interested...I wanted to share what originally drew me to crypto and how I see it as a way of honoring my ancestors. I’m Jewish on both sides of my family. Growing up, I thought it was only through my dad’s side, but later my mom discovered in her grandmother’s will that we were also Jewish through her. My great-grandmother immigrated to New York from Budapest, Hungary just before the German invasion. At the time, Hungary had already begun passing a series of anti-Jewish laws meant to systematically exclude Jews from public life: First Jewish Law (1938): Limited Jews to 20% of positions in fields like law, medicine, engineering, commerce, and banking. Second Jewish Law (1939): Introduced racial definitions of Jewish identity, reduced that quota to just 6%, and banned Jews entirely from state employment, teaching, and the military. Third Jewish Law (1941): Prohibited intermarriage between Jews and non-Jews and marked the beginning of widespread asset seizure. Fearing what may come, my great-grandmother left Hungary for the U.S. She stopped practicing Judaism, changed our family name from Arndt (which means “Eagle Ruler” in German...pretty badass) to Haas, and never told her children they were Jewish. She did it out of fear: if employers knew we were Jewish, she thought we’d be locked out of high-paying careers. Despite this history, my grandfather thrived in America. He went to Princeton, served in both the Korean and Vietnam wars, and rose to the rank of Brigadier General in the U.S. Marine Corps, it the first level of general officer, just below Major General. After his service, he built a successful career in finance. Even though he never knew his original name, I like to think he truly did embody our family name, Arndt meaning Eagle Ruler. He served a country symbolized by an eagle and led men into battle. I often think about how quickly a government can turn on its own people. My great-grandmother had to erase her identity just to survive. Her history is one of the reasons I was drawn to crypto. It’s not just about tech or finance, it’s a way to protect ourselves against tyranny. In crypto, you can be anonymous. No one knows your nationality or background. What matters is merit. It’s a space where power shifts away from centralized institutions and back to individuals. I would not be as passionate about crypto if I didn’t know my family’s story. Crypto technology offers a path to sovereignty and individual protection...something my ancestors never had. In that way, I like to think I honor them by building in this space.