Writing by Dr. Dannielle Blumenthal

April 19, 2026, marks a significant milestone for my family: the 250th Yahrtzeit of our ancestor, Rabbi Yaakov Emden, z”l (1697–1776). (He is my 7th cousin 8 times removed.) Known as the Ya’avetz, Rabbi Emden was the a prolific polymath and one of the most brilliant figures of the 18th century. As a true autodidact,… — read more

What are Jewish people supposed to think when an elderly Jewish man is putting on his Yamaka, his Kipa, his Jewish head covering in London, and a Muslim attacks him? Obviously for no other reason than because he is Jewish. What are we supposed to think when we are told that Islam is not against… — read more

Today my husband drove me to work and dropped me the Visitor’s Center after a doctor’s visit for ankle sprain. It was raining. I silently prayed my neighbor who works here would somehow be there and offer me a ride inside the campus — she sometimes drives me to work. Suddenly my neighbor showed up!… — read more

Good morning. I keep thinking about attempted assassination of President Trump and White House officials at the White House Correspondents Association dinner. And what keeps going through my mind is how blase the reporters were that they were picking up the wine. Now, I have to wonder if they were tipped off beforehand that something… — read more

To address the issue of Gett refusal without relying on public shaming, the most effective rabbinic solution is nullification (known as Kiddushei Ta’ut or Afke’inhu). This process allows a Beis Din (rabbinical court) to declare that a marriage was never legally valid from its inception, usually due to a “hidden defect” or a fundamental flaw… — read more

So yesterday, once again, the news broke that Hamas is actually Hamas and its so-called clerics are actually abusing young boys in the mosques in Gaza and threatening the families that if they say anything, they will call them Israeli collaborators. They will ruin them and so on and so on.  I thought maybe a… — read more

Well, two new stories broke today. One was the attempted assassination of President Trump at the White House Correspondence Association dinner on April 25th. The other is that Hamas is sexually assaulting boys, women, girls, and basically trauma bonding them. Both of these stories have in common that intense trauma can be the only way… — read more

There is a fine line between inclusive coalition-building and a cynical, short-sighted hunger for votes. Right now, both major American political parties are crossing that line, and the cost may be the very secular foundation of our Republic. The Democratic Party brands itself as championing minorities — Muslim Americans, Black communities, women, Jewish people, indigenous… — read more

“Everyone is overlooking the most chilling detail regarding last night’s third assassination attempt on POTUS. “The shooter at the DC correspondents diner was identified as Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from California. part-time teacher/tutor. Teacher of the Month in December 2024 at C2 Education. BS Mechanical Engineer, Master in Computer Science, video game developer. Donated to… — read more

Many years of information warfare have led to deep-seated political polarization, emotional intensity, and a volatile atmosphere where individuals may feel radicalized to commit acts of extreme violence. Nowhere is this more clear at the moment than the shooting incident on April 25, 2026, at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner—an attempted assassination—no doubt provoked because… — read more