10 fabulous castles and fortresses in Israel and test to challenge your brain and France: Professor under police protection after refusing to liken ‘Islamophobia’ to anti-Semitism BY ROBERT SPENCER and Engelbert Humperdinck - Don't Let the Old Man In and its a good day to think about ageing as it is my Hebrew Birthday today
Yehuda Lave is an author, journalist, psychologist, rabbi, spiritual teacher, and coach, with degrees in business, psychology and Jewish Law. He works with people from all walks of life and helps them in their search for greater happiness, meaning, business advice on saving money, and spiritual engagement.
On your birthday you are given special powers like a Cohen who blesses the congregation with Love Every day. As it is my Hebrew birthday, I bless everyone with Love
The Three Musketeers at the Kotel
Challange your brain
1. Challenge your brain with conflicting verbal and visual information Beyond the strengthening and training that new information provides to the brain, we can try to challenge it with various exercises that improve our ability to concentrate, move quickly between similar but different tasks, and deal with confusing situations. Sample exercise: In the picture below, there is a list of colors that are not the same color of the word written. Start from the top right corner and say the name of the color that's written and not the color you see. When you reach the end of the list, read it again from the beginning, only this time, say the color of the written word, not the word itself. At first, it will be very difficult for you to do this, but after some practice, you will find that your brain has succeeded in adapting its thinking and has gained significant training. Like
France: Professor under police protection after refusing to liken 'Islamophobia' to anti-Semitism
MAR 21, 2021 3:00 PM BY ROBERT SPENCER19 COMMENTS
Kinzler is quite right when he says: "Anti-Semitism has resulted in millions of deaths. Genocide without end. Then there is racism, slavery. That, too, has led to tens of millions of deaths in history. But where are the millions of deaths linked to Islamophobia? I do not deny that people of Muslim faith are discriminated against. I just refuse to put it on the same level. I think this is an absurd deception."
It is also an insult to the memory of the Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust, and a few years ago, it was a common Leftist talking point. Many, many others have likened "Islamophobia" to anti-Semitism, including Noam Chomsky, Bernie Sanders; the notorious non-Muslim Islamic apologist Karen Armstrong; Jeffrey Goldberg, "journalist" at The Atlantic; hate-filled fascist Reza Aslan; Muslim Brotherhood-linked Congressman Keith Ellison; Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times; Canadian Muslim leader Syed Sohawardy; and Philadelphia chapter leader of the Hamas-linked Council on American-Islamic Relations Jacob Bender. Many others have repeated it. The blazingly brilliant Daniel Greenfield takes it apart in this video.
The idea that Muslims are the new Jews is put forward by the Left, but it also has opponents on the Left. In 2014, as part of his ongoing awakening to the nature and reality of the jihad threat, about which he has since gone quiet, Bill Maher noted:
Jews weren't oppressing anybody. There weren't 5,000 militant Jewish groups. They didn't do a study of treatment of women around the world and find that Jews were at the bottom of it. There weren't 10 Jewish countries in the world that were putting gay people to death just for being gay.
Indeed. Further, no one is calling for or justifying genocide of Muslims. No individual or group opposed to Islam is remotely comparable to the National Socialists. Not that facts have ever gotten in the way of a good meme.
Maher isn't alone on the Left in having pointed out the absurdity of likening opposition to jihad to the lead-up to the Holocaust. The late Christopher Hitchens also refuted this idea when writing a few years ago about the notorious Ground Zero Mosque proposal:
"Some of what people are saying in this mosque controversy is very similar to what German media was saying about Jews in the 1920s and 1930s," Imam Abdullah Antepli, Muslim chaplain at Duke University, told the New York Times. Yes, we all recall the Jewish suicide bombers of that period, as we recall the Jewish yells for holy war, the Jewish demands for the veiling of women and the stoning of homosexuals, and the Jewish burning of newspapers that published cartoons they did not like.
"German professor under police protection for stance on Islamophobia," by Stefan Dege and Heike Mund, DW, March 16, 2021:
A German professor at a university in Grenoble, France, has become the target of a hate campaign for not wanting to compare anti-Semitism with Islamophobia.
"Fascists in our lecture halls! Dismiss Professor Kinzler! Islamophobia kills," read the large banners hanging at the University of Grenoble. Activists from the French student union Unef also posted the slogans online.
Five months after the brutal murder of history teacher Samuel Paty, being accused of Islamophobia is not something that is taken lightly in France. Following a debate that sparked outrage at the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies, two professors are under police protection.
Here's how it happened: 3 1/2 months ago, students and teachers at the university were discussing the title of a planned seminar on the topic of equality. Should "Islamophobia" be included alongside "anti-Semitism" and "racism"?
Professor Klaus Kinzler, who teaches German language and culture at the university, felt that Islamophobia wasn't comparable to anti-Semitism. Following his advice to not include the term "Islamophobia" in the title of the seminar, he was excluded from the email discussion.
Incidentally, the Stuttgart-born professor is married to a Muslim woman….
Similarly, political scientist Claus Leggewie points out that those activists aren't fighting against the powerful, the establishment, the far-right or the real fascists, but against people whose views are seen as "not being pro-Islamic enough."
Leggewie describes the case as being about "canceling" specific persons, silencing them, and "banning ideas and discussions."…
Racism and anti-Semitism — which are both criminal offenses in secular France — have nothing to do with Islamophobia, in Kinzler's view.
"Anti-Semitism has resulted in millions of deaths. Genocide without end. Then there is racism, slavery. That, too, has led to tens of millions of deaths in history," he told Die Welt. "But where are the millions of deaths linked to Islamophobia?" he asked, nevertheless clarifying: "I do not deny that people of Muslim faith are discriminated against. I just refuse to put it on the same level. I think this is an absurd deception."…
In the end, he says, he is less offended by the students who launched the hate campaign than by his colleagues, researchers, and professors — who have distanced themselves from him without searching for dialogue.
Engelbert Humperdinck - Don't Let the Old Man In
Esteemed vocalist, Engelbert Humperdinck, returns with a brand new single, "Don't Let the Old Man In", off of his upcoming EP, 'Reflections'.
Originally written by Toby Keith for Clint Eastwood's film, "The Mule", Engelbert makes the tune uniquely his own while staying true to the song's message. Keith wrote the song after a conversation he had with Eastwood. When asked how he continues to work his busy schedule at the age of 88, Eastwood stated, "I don't let the old man in."
Keith's intention behind the tune mirrors Engelbert's own fervor for his career, as he continues to release new and introspective music, while touring extensively across the United States, Europe, and Asia year after year.
Don't let the old man in, I wanna leave this alone
Can't leave it up to him, he's knocking on my door
And I knew all of my life, that someday it would end
Get up and go outside, don't let the old man in
Many moons I have lived
My body's weathered and worn
Ask yourself how old you'd be
If you didn't know the day you were born
Try to love on your wife
And stay close to your friends
Toast each sundown with wine
Don't let the old man in
Many moons I have lived
My body's weathered and worn
Ask yourself how old you'd be
If you didn't know the day you were born
When he rides up on his horse
And you feel that cold bitter wind
Look out your window and smile
Don't let the old man in
Look out your window and smile
Don't let the old man in
10 fabulous castles and fortresses in Israel
From palaces hanging off a cliff in the desert to knights' halls and imposing fortresses, Israel is the place to imagine yourself in shining armor.
When you think of Israel, castles probably aren't the first thing that comes to mind. Which is a shame, considering that the country boasts some truly magnificent ones.
Some of them date back thousands of years while others are more recent, but they are all monuments to fascinating history, lost empires and power struggles worthy of their own Netflix show.
Here, we've whittled them down to our top 10 castles and fortresses, to be admired while wearing your finest gown.
Like many of the castles and fortresses dotted throughout Israel, Chateau Belvoir was built by the Crusaders who ruled over the country, and later parts of it, from the 12th to 13th century. Located a short distance from the Sea of Galilee, the castle is concentric, meaning that it has two circuits of defensive walls one inside the other.
It was ruined by its Muslim conquerors in the early 13th century to ensure that Crusader forces won't occupy it again in the future, but luckily they only destroyed the top floor and filled in the moat, leaving intact the base that can be viewed today. Nowadays, as part of a national park, the castle boasts not only great ruins but also a stunning panoramic view.
Cafarlet Castle, within the serene Moshav Habonim on Israel's coastline, is rather mysterious in that there's little historical record of it. It was probably built by the Muslim rulers of the Land of Israel in the eighth or ninth century, alongside similar fortifications constructed along the coastline to protect it from invading Byzantine Christians.
The rectangular castle had guard towers in each corner, which all underwent reconstructions when taken over by the Crusaders. Eventually the area was once again taken by Muslim conquerors, and the castle and surrounding area fell into disrepair. Today, the site remains off-road and is not maintained, so perhaps is best enjoyed from a distance.
David's Citadel
Photo of David's Citadel by Aleksandar Todorovic via Shutterstock.com
One of Jerusalem's most well-known landmarks, the David Citadel at the entrance to the Old City is a big, imposing complex that was originally the site of King Herod's watchtowers some 2,000 years ago. It was then turned into a fortress by the Arab rulers of Jerusalem, further fortified by the Crusaders and then fortified yet again by the returning Arab rulers. The minaret that now adorns it was added by the Ottomans, who also surrounded it with a moat. Today, the citadel houses archaeological finds, the Tower of David Museum and a very impressive light-and-sound show.
Nimrod Castle
Nimrod Castle on the slopes of Mount Hermon in northern Israel looks like it was taken straight from the set of "Game of Thrones," being medieval and all. The huge complex was built by Muslim rulers on a strategic spot to protect the important road to Damascus.
It fell out of use hundreds of years ago but still very much crowned the local landscape, even leading a visiting Mark Twain to call it "the stateliest ruin of that kind on earth." Today it is a national park that is open to the public, who can enjoy an ancient stone inscription, interesting architecture and magnificent views.
The ancient Nimrod Castle in Israel's
north is a stunning example of the country's many castles and
fortresses. Photo by Nina Mikryukova via Shutterstock.com
Montfort Castle is a unique Crusader castle in that it was built not to protect the Christian kingdom from Arab invaders but rather to house some of the Teutonic Order's administration and protect it from rival Crusaders. Built in the 13th century, it is located on a steep cliff in the northern Galilee, where it is surrounded by green forest. Today, it is part of a national park that is also home to rare and endangered plants.
Photo of Masada by StockStudio Aerials via Shutterstock.com
Possibly the most jaw-dropping fortress on this list, Masada is one of Israel's leading archeological sites. Perched atop a cliff in the Judean desert, this complex housed King Herod's palaces and was where Jewish rebels fortified themselves again the Romans until, according to tradition, they killed themselves in 74 CE instead of falling captive.
Nowadays, Masada National Park is one of Israel's most popular tourist sites, accessed by two walking trails or a less strenuous cable car. The best time to visit is sunrise, when the desert and the adjacent Dead Sea light up.
Seaside Apollonia is one ancient town, established at the latest in the fourth century BCE. It was the home of Samaritans, Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Crusaders, Jewish immigrants and most recently well-to-do Israelis. The Crusaders left the most memorable mark on the place in the shape of a fortress that juts out to the sea. The fortress existed in its entirety for only 24 years before it was razed by Muslim conquerors. Nowadays, it's a popular nature reserve that also includes a Roman villa, a moat and a mosque.
Antipatris Fort is also known as Binar Bashi, a variation on the Turkish word for fountainhead. It was built in the late 16th century by the Ottoman rulers of the Land of Israel to guard the passageway between the sources – or fountainhead – of the Yarkon River and more distant areas and is located on the ancient Via Maris trade route linking Egypt and Syria. The impressive fort is now part of Tel Afek National Park, which boasts a lake and extensive recreational grounds.
Photo of Antipatris Fort by Tatiana Bambulevich via Shutterstock.com
Acre Hospitaller Fortress
Photo of the Hospitaller Fortress by Ilia Torlin via Shutterstock.com
The crusading Hospitaller Order built the impressive fortress in Acre (Akko) in the 12th century when they and other Christian communities resided in the port city. The remains of their large-scale complex include a courtyard, what was a heavily secured gate and gate tower and the knights' dining room – a huge, pillared stone room that you can just imagine teeming with knights in shining armor devouring their spit roasts.
Photo of Acre Hospitaller Fortress by RICIfoto via Shutterstock.com
Atlit Fortress
Photo of Atlit Fortress by Hadas Parush/Flash90
When the Crusaders built their fortress in Atlit back in the 13th century, little did they know it would one day become an Israeli Navy commando camp that would fascinate the public that is not allowed to step inside. Aside from being a huge and well-fortified fortress, the place was the last Crusader stronghold in the Land of Israel from which the last Christians knights departed back to Europe.
Years later, stones from the fortress were used to build new buildings in nearby cities and the whole site suffered damage from an earthquake in the 19th century. Still, it is an imposing sight, especially when you think of the secretive divers lurking underneath.
Photo of Atlit Fortress by Hadas Parush/Flash90
See you tomorrow bli neder
On your birthday you are given special powers like a Cohen who blesses the congregation with Love Every day. As it is my Hebrew birthday, I bless everyone with Love
