VOA标准英语2014--Auschwitz March Highlights Worries about Anti-Semitism in Hungary

 

Auschwitz March Highlights Worries about Anti-Semitism in Hungary

OSWIECEM, POLAND — Amid concerns about the rise of extremist parties in Europe, around 10,000 people from around the world took part in a march Monday between the former Nazi¹ death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau. Many were from Hungary, where a party that refuses to condemn² anti-Semitism won 20 percent of the vote in a recent national election.

A Jewish prayer took place where it was once forbidden, as the marchers set out under the rain and under the sign that bears one of history’s most horrible lies: “Arbeit Macht Frei” - “Work Makes (One) Free.” 

“The March of the Living” takes place on Yom Hashoah, Holocaust³ Remembrance Day in Israel, and it has been held every year since 1988.

The event stands in opposition⁴ to the death marches carried out here by the Nazis⁵.

Branko Lustig, who produced the movie Schindler’s List, took part in one of them.  He said he could not have imagined this day.

"Never. You know when I was here in the camp I was just thinking how to survive one more minute," he said.

More than a million people, mostly Jews, were sent to their deaths in gas chambers⁶, while others were forced to live in conditions that few survived.

“Nations should never forget this, it can never happen again,” said Fanni Gal⁷, who toured the camp just before the march.

There were many participants from Hungary, the country of origin for one-third of the Jews who died here.

Kristina Kuhn is also Hungarian, and also one of many non-Jews who marched.

"It's important for the young generation, because in Hungary it's a big problem, the anti-Semitism," said Kuhn.

March organizers want to bring as many young people as possible to Auschwitz to be transformed by the experience of being in the place that has become the symbol of humanity's greatest evil.

As the long column finished the three-kilometer march and arrived at Auschwitz’s sister camp, Birkenau, victims’ names echoed from the loudspeakers.

Another survivor⁸, former Israeli chief rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, recalled what happened to a man who arrived on a transport and wanted to get his prayer articles.

“He jumped into the wagon⁹, against the rules, and he brought out with him the talis and tefillin. They were beating him to death, on the spot!” recalled Lau.

On this spot now, putting on these tefillin, small boxes containing Hebrew texts, is a mitzvah - a good deed.

March organizer David Machlis, an economics professor at Adelphi University, said the slogan “Never Again” does not mean terrible things will not recur¹⁰.

“My interpretation¹¹ of ‘Never Again’ is never again we should be indifferent,” explained Machlis.

He hopes that each of the 150,000 people who have been on this march will have learned the dangers of indifference¹².

1 Nazi   

n.纳粹分子，adj.纳粹党的，纳粹的

参考例句：

• They declare the Nazi regime overthrown and sue for peace.他们宣布纳粹政权已被推翻，并出面求和。
• Nazi closes those war criminals inside their concentration camp.纳粹把那些战犯关在他们的集中营里。

2 condemn   

vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑

参考例句：

• Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。
• We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

3 holocaust   

n.大破坏；大屠杀

参考例句：

• The Auschwitz concentration camp always remind the world of the holocaust.奥辛威茨集中营总是让世人想起大屠杀。
• Ahmadinejad is denying the holocaust because he's as brutal as Hitler was.内贾德否认大屠杀，因为他像希特勒一样残忍。

4 opposition   

n.反对，敌对

参考例句：

• The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
• The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。

5 Nazis   

n.（德国的）纳粹党员( Nazi的名词复数 )；纳粹主义

参考例句：

• The Nazis worked them over with gun butts. 纳粹分子用枪托毒打他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The Nazis were responsible for the mass murder of Jews during World War Ⅱ. 纳粹必须为第二次世界大战中对犹太人的大屠杀负责。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 chambers   

n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅

参考例句：

• The body will be removed into one of the cold storage chambers. 尸体将被移到一个冷冻间里。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Mr Chambers's readable book concentrates on the middle passage: the time Ransome spent in Russia. Chambers先生的这本值得一看的书重点在中间：Ransome在俄国的那几年。 来自互联网

7 gal   

n.姑娘，少女

参考例句：

• We decided to go with the gal from Merrill.我们决定和那个从梅里尔来的女孩合作。
• What's the name of the gal? 这个妞叫什么？

8 survivor   

n.生存者，残存者，幸存者

参考例句：

• The sole survivor of the crash was an infant.这次撞车的惟一幸存者是一个婴儿。
• There was only one survivor of the plane crash.这次飞机失事中只有一名幸存者。

9 wagon   

n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车

参考例句：

• We have to fork the hay into the wagon.我们得把干草用叉子挑进马车里去。
• The muddy road bemired the wagon.马车陷入了泥泞的道路。

10 recur   

vi.复发，重现，再发生

参考例句：

• Economic crises recur periodically.经济危机周期性地发生。
• Of course,many problems recur at various periods.当然，有许多问题会在不同的时期反复提出。

11 interpretation   

n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理

参考例句：

• His statement admits of one interpretation only.他的话只有一种解释。
• Analysis and interpretation is a very personal thing.分析与说明是个很主观的事情。

12 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。