Kids these days….Our Kids are The Defining Generation. And they are doing great!! Day 41 -- thoughts on the war and unfolding situation in Israel. Like every parent over the last decade and especially in 2023, I fretted about the impact that digital devices, screen time and social networks would have on my kids. Like every Israeli parent, I am not worried any more. The iPhone generation turned up on en masse, ready to fight for the right to live and prosper. They grasped the gravity of violent Jihad for Israel and the West and came with courage and conviction. Our kids taught us to take the fight to the enemies of humanity, to stand tall, to believe, to know that the future will be better in their hands. The greatest emerging generation was born in Israel. They are the Defining Generation. Globally, many kids’ minds have been poisoned by moral relativism, identity politics and a general malaise of passivity. Glued to screens, married to pronouns and upset by micro-aggressions, college campuses have produced soft kids, with little resilience and a lack of critical thinking. College students parroting and lauding Osama Bin Laden’s “Letter to America” on Tiktok is just the latest stunning example of mind-capture by tiktokism, nihilism and upside-downism of the iPhone generation. The recent protests on college campuses show that these young people, who are used to hiding behind screens and screen names, lack courage, covering their faces and fecklessly shouting bloody murder when someone exposes them for their moral depravity. Not Israeli kids. They are not coddled and hence have turned up en masse for reserve duty. The younger ones are serving and fighting as part of their mandatory military service to beat back the gleeful butchers of Hamas. Esprit de corps oozes through their veins. This is a real call of duty, not a game, and hence they are without their phones, fighting for the West in Gaza, not able to make contact with their friends and family by smartphone but still viscerally connected to the Homefront, to their families and to Western Values. It turns out that mandatory military service and national service is good for civics, resilience and moral clarity. Serving your country and people, a purpose higher than yourself or your iPhone creates men and women of valor. They carry the privilege and burden of fighting for the values and freedom that the West has held dear for centuries. They intuitively know right from wrong, the satanic barbarism of radical violent Jihad from genuinely good countries like Israel and America. Since they run out to fight evil, they know what they are living for. Mandatory service also ensures patriotism and shared values. Mandatory service enables immigrants to adopt the values of their adopted country and the country that gave them life and liberty. Anyone who did mandatory service would not tear down an American flag in Times Square or they would leave the country before. Our brave young Israeli kids and young adults are not confused. Over the last five weeks, we have discovered with certainty that they are addicted to liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not their phones. Together, all walks of Israeli young people are fighting for our ideals. I just took my first overnight business trip since the war broke out. The economy must continue during this time. But it was tough. My son got his first 24 hour army leave right after I crossed security on my way to the plane’s gate. I asked him if I should turn around and he said "absolutely not", you need to go. The economy is a front too. I did not get to see him since I am 9000 miles away. I feel far away with everything going on back home. It was really hard to leave. It was hard to do a video call with my kids while everyone who was home ate dinner together. It is hard, even if, perhaps, I made the right decision to travel. This is real life. This is a real war. This is a real turning point in history, a historic moment. I met with many people in the US. I could sense that everyone I met in America understood how important this fight against Hamas and violent Jihad was. Many are worried it is coming to their cities soon, if it is not there already. And I wonder: would their kids take up arms and fight when they came for them? I hope so. I pray. Investment in Israeli companies is continuing. Deals are closing. Money is flowing. I was really encouraged by the support from the tech and business community. Many people thanked me for my kids’s service. Some were concerned for our wellbeing and were blown away by the resilience. I received numerous hugs from a wide range of people. Last evening, a woman who asked where I was from just started crying and said "Thank you. I am sending energy to you and your children." I heard numerous stories from investors who while getting a Zoom pitch from Israeli CEOs, had to hold the line for a minute while the CEO ran for shelter due to Hamas rockets. But, the pitch kept on going! “Your entrepreneurs are badass” said two. Service to others breeds resilience. These “pitches” are not just for a startup. They are for a country and set of values. On my iPhone, I showed some pictures of my kids. I showed pictures of some of my entrepreneurs, splitting time between reserve duty and running their companies. The pictures made me proud. This is the greatest emerging generation. At one point, while showing a picture to a colleague, my phone rang from an unrecognized number. I apologized and said I had to answer because sometimes the kids call from someone else’s phone because they do not have their own phone. Whoever they find with a phone becomes a “phone booth” to call home or call loved ones. Alas, it was just a service provider. “When did you last speak to your kid?” the person asked. “Two weeks ago,” I answered. I added, “In this era of instant communication, I too have been taught a lesson. There is no find your iPhone or reach out and call your kids while they are fighting in Gaza.” They are focused on doing the right thing. I realized that I too am growing up during this war. Time for me to learn resilience from our kids. They are the best. We have a lot to learn from them. The world has a lot to learn from them.