You just can’t stay mad at Dave Driskell. The cross fit evangelist sparked a bit of outrage the other day after posting a photo of himself doing a handstand on the Berlin Holocaust Memorial. The Memorial is a open urban structure and I guess was purposely built to be a vibrant and lively part of the local environment. Locals walk in and around it, sometimes take naps on it, hang out in it – it’s even served as a location for a fashion shoot. It’s a lively place – I guess it’s meant to be, as it stands in stark contrast to the horrific events it memorializes. In any case, Driskell took to Instagram to apologize and I for one am fully willing to accept his apology. I’m even beginning to wonder if an apology was necessary to begin with. It’s not as if the ground is sacred or anything. Plus, how on earth can you stay mad at a guy that looks like superhero hipster Herzl? I have a feeling that a lot of the initial backlash against Driskell was inspired by the notion that CrossFit guys are all obnoxious Dude Bros. Driskell, upon further investigation, is clearly not one of those and I’d like to keep the Holocaust separate from the whole anti-CrossFit backlash. We’re all good Dave. Keep doing handstands!

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I'd like to apologize for any offense the last picture I posted has caused. I had a quick layover in Berlin today with a good friend and we walked all around the city looking at and enjoying all the beauty it has to offer. We walked near this memorial not knowing what it was at the time. People were walking on the pillars. Kids running around. People sitting on them. It was gorgeous and looked visually stunning. As with all things like this I wanted a picture next to it, as I have been doing for years. I took a handstand picture with it as the background. I truly did not know what the structure was. I feel completely terrible as I would never purposely offend or disrespect this memorial had I known. I posted the picture using the wifi from a local cafe and then went back to exploring the city. It wasn't until later tonight at the airport that I realized my error in understanding what this structure was. I've been doing handstands all over the world since I started this amazing wanderlust adventure that has inspired people all over the world. Earlier this year I flew to India to help with a charitable event which raised over $24,000.00 to help the orphans and needy in India. I love to promote fitness and inspire people to do something different than the norm: To be epic. To be fit. To help others. To chase happiness. To show love! I love all and strive to show that through my passions of travel and fitness. Again I apologize for this horrible misunderstanding and any offense this might have caused. Anyone who knows me, knows this is the complete opposite of what I would want. I respectfully ask your forgiveness Dave Driskell.

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ck

Founder and Publisher of Jewlicious, David Abitbol lives in Jerusalem with his wife, newborn daughter and toddler son. Blogging as "ck" he's been blocked on twitter by the right and the left, so he's doing something right.