1/2 Not long after I joined twitter in 2008, I set my name to "Lord Steven Phillips" as a joke to 'one up' a pal who set their name to "Sir..." My friends subsequently bought me an actual lordship title for my birthday...

On the menu at Columbia University’s dining hall today: October 7th Blush Sauce

Just met @avi_amoyal he's cool and you should follow him! He's also building a super cool AI tool and you should watch for a launch!

Since that time, countless partners have joined us to create powerful experiences for Jews in Tech. Among them was our trip to Israel with @steveeypips, and the chance to share our love for the half of world Jewry living in the Holy Land, witness the destruction of October 7th, and connect with those who were forever changed by it. Among those we met was the family of Sasha Troufanov, an Amazon employee held in Hamas captivity for 498 days: his now-wife Sapir Cohen, his mother Yelena, and his grandmother Irina. Since @rostovrabbi introduced us, we've rallied with Yelena and Sapir to raise awareness about Sasha's plight... and shared in the rejoicing when he returned home. We've since had the privilege to host Sasha and Sapir for our Tech Tribe community.

I’m a Jew and a Zionist and you have a problem with that… go fuck yourself.

Gaza. Hundreds of metres away. And it’s clear how much of it is still standing.

In a room, full of Israelis, Jews and friends, together in San Francisco on October 7th. We're here to talk tech, *Leverage* our connections. Am Yisrael Chai! (Come find me if you're in the room, you'll spot my sneakers!)

Three years ago today: 1,200 murdered. 251 taken hostage. The deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust. Since then, antisemitism hasn't returned. It's exploded. Attacked in the streets. Hunted on campuses. Murdered from Washington to Sydney. For one reason: being Jewish. October 7th didn't create this hatred, it revealed it. I'm raising my daughters to be proud Jews. Loud. Visible. Unapologetic. We will not hide 💙

The second slide is pure whataboutism. Fuck off.

105 people were killed in Gaza last month. 70 of them were militants. People are calling this an ongoing genocide. This is less than a bad month in Chicago. For example, in July 2021, 112 people were murdered in the city. Does it mean Chicago is an ongoing genocide?

Despite the trauma, the sadness, the anxiety and loss. I cannot wait for next Tuesday when I'll board a plane emblazened with a Magen David and fly to Israel. My soul needs it.

October 7, morning. Ayalon South, Tel Aviv . Drivers stop for a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the October 7 massacre. Three years later, Israel remembers. 🇮🇱 Credit: @RazShechnik

Even after three years, I don't feel like it gets any easier. The realisation of the horrors unfolding before my eyes that morning is etched in my brain. Trying to stay calm and report while, inside, I'm falling apart. I know I'm not alone. I know others have gone through much worse. Maybe that's why it's so hard to talk about. I'll be away for a few days. Back soon.

The wake-up call that changed my life. Three years ago today.

I will speak tonight at the Jewish society of a local university about October 7th and what it means. I’ve spent the last few days working to create a speech that brings the tragedy down to what matters: not politics or religion or hate but people, the individuals who were killed. People like us who were afraid and who perished. In a world where Jews are dehumanised I’m trying to bring home to those who listen that the people who were slaughtered were just like them. I pray I do justice to each and every one. Nothing matters more. Their memory and love for the humanity in all of us has guided my every step for years because they were just people and what happened to them was an act of evil. Sending love to all affected by that evil day three years later.

Dear Jewish friends, Please take care of yourselves today. Take a break from social media. Reflect, rest, recharge. Spend time with loved ones. Hold them a little closer. Hug yourselves. I don't know how today will go, but I imagine it will be brutal at times. I will share only positive stories. I too, in my way, will reflect... on the last three years, on many things: -On the strength, the resilience of the Jewish people -Your courage to continue the fight, despite the increasing hate -Your unyielding faith (for those very many of you who believe) in HaShem -Your pride in your history, your traditions, your charity -Your kindness and altruism I will reflect in my own way too, having visited the Nova exhibition in London. On the friendships I've made here in such a short time. On life, purpose, the future. I will join in the global prayer, from your eternal holy city, Jerusalem. We allies are here to support you, and will fight for you today, and always, where, and when needed. As another dear ally @samslamdunk has said, we will 'hold the fort'. I love, respect, and laud you all. We are always here for you. Jews are not going anywhere after 5787 years. Well, I have news for the haters, neither are your allies 💛. Am Yisrael Chai ✡️🙏🏻 🇮🇱 #JewsAndAlliesAgainstAntisemitism

I stupidly forgot to bring a jumper/sweater on this flight having been in LA in the blistering sun. It's cold.

Three years have passed since the day our lives changed forever. 7 October 2023. A date that will forever be carved into our hearts. The day the monsters came. The day beautiful young people went to the Nova Festival to dance, to laugh, to celebrate life & were hunted down, murdered, raped & kidnapped. The day families were slaughtered. Parents & children. Brothers & sisters. Husbands & wives. Grandparents & grandchildren. Entire families. Entire generations. Erased. People were burnt alive in their homes & communities. They were hunted as they tried to escape. Along the roads, bodies of our beloved people lay scattered, burning, bleeding, dying. Lives were extinguished in the most horrific way imaginable, all caught on the Go Pro cameras of the terrorists as they proudly slaughtered whilst shrieking Allahu Akbar Our people were ripped from their beds, from the festival, from their families & dragged into Gaza in to the bowels of hell where they were caged, beaten, tortured & starved. Some were returned to us in a deal that saw the release of demons back to the streets. Some were rescued. Some were brought home by the incredible bravery of the IDF that fought to find them. And some never came home alive. Three years on, the pain has not disappeared. How could it? We are broken into a million pieces. They were friends, neighbours, people who were loved. We lost people directly connected to our families & almost every Israeli or Jewish person I know can tell you the name of someone whose life was shattered that day. Our brave soldiers fought to defend Israel, to protect their people. They fought like lions to bring our hostages home & against the monsters who wanted to destroy us. Those lions have paid an unimaginable price. Today, alongside our grief, I want to honour them. Our soldiers. Our heroes. Warriors of Israel. The men & women who put their lives on the line every day to protect their country, their families & the freedom to live. I want to honour every person who has kept going. The mothers who lost their children. The fathers who lost their families. Those who will forever live with the tremendous loss. The survivors who have to live with memories and pain no human being should ever have to carry. The families of the murdered. And every person who wakes up every morning and somehow finds the strength to carry on. Thank you to our non-Jewish allies. The people who saw what happened & didn’t look away. The people who stood beside us & could clearly see right from wrong. The people who defended Israel, defended the truth, called out antisemitism & refused to allow the world to rewrite what happened. You have given us strength when we desperately needed it. You have reminded us that there are still good people in this world. And perhaps one of the strangest things about these three years is that, alongside the terrible loss, we have also found friendship. People we would never have met have become part of our lives. People have come together because they believe that truth matters. That Jewish lives matter. That Israeli lives matter. That terrorism must never be celebrated & that rape, murder, kidnapping & the slaughter of innocent people can never be justified. Today, we remember every beautiful soul murdered on 7 October & since because of jihadist evil. Jew hatred. Every life stolen. Every family destroyed. Every hostage. Every survivor. Every soldier. And every family still carrying the unbearable weight of loss. We remember. We will always remember. 7 October changed our lives & will never be the same. We are broken into a million pieces. But we are still here. Still standing. Still fighting for the truth. Still fighting for our people. Still fighting for Israel. Still carrying the names, the faces & the memories of those who should still be here with us. May the memories of every one of those beautiful souls be an eternal blessing. עם ישראל ח 🇮🇱

Breaking. Right now at Northwestern Our play October 7 has been disrupted by someone setting off a fire alarm. The whole theater has to be evacuated. This hits even stronger because it’s already October 7 in Israel.

So, the plane is boarded, were ready to go but we're missing a first officer... He's just landed and is swapping gates... Is it too soon to ask "any plumbers on board?" 🤣

Okay, LA you were great! Next stop on the tour: the up and coming home of the Tech Shabbat... San Francisco, INCOMING! See y'all at Leverage Israel tomorrow! Wild that I'm going to tech conferences I'd never have got to when I was in tech!!