VOA标准英语2011--Jerusalem, Part 1: Why It Matters to Jew

Jerusalem, Part 1: Why It Matters to Jews

State-of-the-art trains crisscross the ancient landscape, their sound and their presence serving as reminders¹ of why Israelis and Palestinians struggle for control of Jerusalem. For Israelis, the train is a step toward realizing their vision of uniting the once-divided city.
It is Friday morning and Anat Hoffman, a controversial former Jerusalem councilwoman, is preparing the Sabbath meal.
She was born and reared in Jerusalem. And to her, the most meaningful spot in the city is - the Jerusalem zoo.
"There are men and women, ultra-Orthodox and Arab, sitting here on this grass, being together without attacking each other. Somehow, in the presence of the wild animals, we become human beings, and the zoo has become an island of sanity² in this town. It's the only place where you see Arab feet and Jewish feet in the same puddle³ of water, enjoying the place," she said.
For three millennia⁴, this has been Judaism's holiest spot - the site of the ancient Hebrew temple in what is now Jerusalem's old city,
Israeli troops captured it from Jordan, along with the rest of the old city, in 1967.
Since then, Jews have come to pray around the clock at one of the walls of the temple compound that the Romans destroyed in the first century.
Yona Metzger, the chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Israel, explains why these stones matter. "We fulfilled a dream. Israel belongs to the sons of Israel and this is the heart of Israel. All the holiness of the Holy Land comes from Jerusalem. The influence from the holiness comes from Jerusalem, and for Jews the heart of Jerusalem is the Holy Temple," she said.
Those who pray here believe Jerusalem is holy because God made it holy, and some believe prayers reach God more directly when made from here.
"It's holy to other religions, I know, but the first time it was made holy was when God gave it to the Jewish people. It started in the days of Abraham, even when Adam was created. It was the place where the temple was built, the first temple, and God willing, the third temple will be built here also. We will always pray here," said one woman.
But the way Anat Hoffman sees it, much remains⁵ to be done before this sacred spot can be, in her view, considered truly holy.
She recalls how Israel demolished⁶ Palestinian homes after the 1967 war to make way for this plaza⁷.
She has also led a fight to remove the partition that segregates⁸ men and women in this outdoor synagogue. "I would start with paying back and compensating⁹ every person who lived here at the Mughrabi neighborhood for this plaza. Only then, I think, we'll be able to tread this wall and feel holiness. Then I'll blow the partition to all hell," she said.
Hoffman also opposes the light rail project. For her, it does little to bridge the gaps that remain.
Part two of this three part series will be available July 19.

1 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。

2 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

3 puddle   

n.(雨)水坑，泥潭

参考例句：

• The boy hopped the mud puddle and ran down the walk.这个男孩跳过泥坑，沿着人行道跑了。
• She tripped over and landed in a puddle.她绊了一下，跌在水坑里。

4 millennia   

n.一千年，千禧年

参考例句：

• For two millennia, exogamy was a major transgression for Jews. 两千年来，异族通婚一直是犹太人的一大禁忌。
• In the course of millennia, the dinosaurs died out. 在几千年的时间里，恐龙逐渐死绝了。

5 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

6 demolished   

v.摧毁( demolish的过去式和过去分词 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光

参考例句：

• The factory is due to be demolished next year. 这个工厂定于明年拆除。
• They have been fighting a rearguard action for two years to stop their house being demolished. 两年来，为了不让拆除他们的房子，他们一直在进行最后的努力。

7 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

8 segregates   

（使）分开( segregate的第三人称单数 )； 分离； 隔离； 隔离并区别对待（不同种族、宗教或性别的人）

参考例句：

• C. sepium and C. silvatica are segregates. 篱打碗花和森林打碗花都是分离种。
• The sun segregates the carbon. 阳光分离出碳。

9 compensating   

补偿，补助，修正

参考例句：

• I am able to set up compensating networks of nerve connections. 我能建立起补偿性的神经联系网。
• It is desirable that compensating cables be run in earthed conduit. 补偿导线最好在地下管道中穿过。