2022年12月01日 VOA慢速英語：宗教團體旨在重新定義與戰(zhàn)爭、仇恨相關的符號

 

When Dr. Sheetal Deo celebrated the Hindu festival of lights called Diwali recently, she did not think it would be considered offensive. But she got a letter from officials at her building in New York City telling her to remove her Diwali decorations because it "had a swastika on it."
當 Sheetal Deo 博士最近慶祝名為排燈節(jié)的印度燈節(jié)時，她認為這不會被視為冒犯。但她收到紐約市辦公樓官員的一封信，要求她取下她的排燈節(jié)裝飾品，因為它“上面有納粹標志”。
 
The swastika is a cross with right angles at the ends. It is believed to have long been used as a symbol of peace and good luck in the Hindu, Buddhist, and Jainist religions and several cultures.
納粹標志是一個兩端呈直角的十字.據(jù)信，長期以來，它在印度教、佛教和耆那教以及多種文化中被用作和平與好運的象征。
 
In the West and Russia, however, the swastika, also called hakenkreuz, is linked to Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany. The symbol is also linked to the Holocaust in which millions of Jews and other people were killed during World War II. Groups tied to acts of hate have continued to use the swastika.
然而，在西方和俄羅斯，萬字符，也稱為 hakenkreuz，與阿道夫希特勒的納粹德國有關。該符號還與第二次世界大戰(zhàn)期間數(shù)百萬猶太人和其他人被殺的大屠殺有關。與仇恨行為相關的團體繼續(xù)使用納粹黨徽。
 
However, the Associated Press (AP) reports that there has been a movement to reclaim the earlier meaning of the swastika in the past 10 years among Asian immigrants and Native Americans.
然而，美聯(lián)社 (AP) 報道稱，在過去 10 年中，有一場運動要求恢復納粹黨黨徽的早期含義亞洲移民和美洲原住民。
 
Deo said she believes these communities should not apologize for using their symbol because of its misuse in the past.
Deo 說，她認為這些社區(qū)不應該因為過去濫用他們的標志而道歉。
 
"To me, that's intolerable," Deo said.
“對我來說，這是無法容忍的，”Deo 說。
 
But to many others, especially in the Jewish communities, giving the swastika a second chance is not possible.
但是許多其他人，尤其是在猶太社區(qū)，不可能再給萬字符一次機會。
 
Shelley Rood Wernick is a director of the Jewish Federations of North America's Center on Holocaust Survivor Care. Wernick said Holocaust survivors could feel the horrors again when they see the symbol. She went on to say, "I recognize the swastika as a symbol of hate."
Shelley Rood Wernick 是北美猶太人聯(lián)合會大屠殺幸存者關懷中心的主任。沃尼克說，當大屠殺幸存者看到這個符號時，他們會再次感受到恐怖。她接著說，“我認為萬字符是仇恨的象征。”
 
 
Steven Heller wrote a book called Swastika: Symbol Beyond Redemption? He said the swastika is an emotional symbol for so many whose loved ones were murdered. Heller's great-grandfather died during the Holocaust.
史蒂文·海勒 (Steven Heller) 寫了一本書，書名是萬字符：超越救贖的象征？他說，對于許多親人被謀殺的人來說，萬字符是一種情感象征。海勒的曾祖父在大屠殺期間去世。
 
"A rose by any other name is a rose. In the end, it's how a symbol affects you visually and emotionally," Heller said.
“任何其他名字的玫瑰都是玫瑰。最終，這就是一個象征如何影響你的視覺和情感，”海勒說。
 
The swastika's meaning in other cultures
萬字符在其他文化中的含義
The swastika has been used since prehistoric times. The word itself has roots in Sanskrit, an ancient language, and means "the mark of well being."
萬字符自史前時代就已被使用。這個詞本身起源于一種古老的語言梵語，意思是“幸福的標志”。
 
In the religion of Jainism found in India, the swastika represents four kinds of births. In Buddhism, it is called "manji." It is often used to mark the place of Buddhist temples. And in China, it is called "Wàn."
在印度的耆那教中，萬字符代表四種出生。在佛教中，它被稱為“曼吉”。常用于標示佛寺所在地。而在中國，它被稱為“Wàn”。
 
The symbol is common in India. It is seen in doorways, on cars, and in other places. It is usually drawn with red and yellow colors.
這個符號在印度很常見。它出現(xiàn)在門口、汽車和其他地方。它通常用紅色和黃色繪制。
 
Vikas Jain is a doctor in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. He and his wife have had to hide images in their home with the symbol because when their children's friends visit "they wouldn't know the difference."
Vikas Jain 是俄亥俄州克利夫蘭市的一名醫(yī)生。他和他的妻子不得不將帶有這個符號的圖像隱藏在家里，因為當他們的孩子的朋友來訪時“他們不會知道其中的區(qū)別”。
 
The swastika was also an important symbol to many indigenous communities around the world. They can be found on objects dating back more than 10,000 years which now can be seen in the National Museum of the History of Ukraine.
對于許多土著社區(qū)來說，卍字也是一個重要的符號世界各地。它們可以在距今超過 10,000 年的物品上找到，這些物品現(xiàn)在可以在烏克蘭國家歷史博物館中看到。
 
In the early 1900s, Native American artists used it in their crafts, including silver work, clothes, and pottery. But after the Nazis used it, leaders of the Hopi, Navajo, Apache, and other tribes approved an agreement in 1940 to ban the symbol from use.
在 1900 年代初期，美國原住民藝術家將其用于手工藝品，包括銀制品、衣服和陶器。但在納粹使用它之后，霍皮人、納瓦霍人、阿帕奇人和其他部落的領導人在 1940 年批準了一項禁止使用該符號的協(xié)議。
 
Patricia Anne Davis is a member of the Choctaw and Dineh nations. She said it was a symbol of peace, healing, and goodness until the Nazis changed its meaning. She added that it is time to bring back the first meaning of the symbol.
帕特里夏·安妮·戴維斯是喬克托人和迪內(nèi)人的成員國家。她說，在納粹改變其含義之前，它一直是和平、治愈和善良的象征。她補充說，現(xiàn)在是恢復該符號最初含義的時候了。
 
Difference between swastika and hakenkreuz
萬字符和哈肯克魯茲的區(qū)別
 
The Coalition of Hindus of North America is one of the groups aiming to separate the swastika from the Nazi's "cross" called hakenkreuz.
北美印度教徒聯(lián)盟是旨在將萬字符與納粹“哈肯克魯茲”的“十字架”分開的組織之一。
 
The group supports a new law in the state of California that makes it illegal to show the hakenkreuz in public. The law does not criminalize the swastika as a sacred symbol. However, it says both symbols are "swastikas."
該組織支持加利福尼亞州的一項新法律，該法律規(guī)定在公共場合展示 hakenkreuz 是非法的。法律并未將卍字作為神圣的象征定為犯罪。然而，它說這兩個符號都是“萬字符”。
 
Jeff Kelman is a Holocaust historian based in the state of New Hampshire. He believes the hakenkreuz and swastika can be separated. Kelman is presenting this idea to Jewish communities.
杰夫·凱爾曼 (Jeff Kelman) 是新罕布什爾州的一位大屠殺歷史學家。他認為 hakenkreuz 和萬字符可以分開。凱爾曼正在向猶太社區(qū)介紹這個想法。
 
He is hopeful that the symbol can be redefined as a good thing because he sees his message being understood by so many people, including Holocaust survivors.
他希望這個符號可以被重新定義為一件好事，因為他看到他的信息被很多人理解，包括大屠殺幸存者。
 
"When they learn an Indian girl could be named Swastika and she could be harassed in school, they understand how they should see these as two separate symbols," Kelman said.
“當他們了解到一個印度女孩可以被命名為卍字，她可能會在學校受到騷擾，他們明白應該如何將這些視為兩個不同的符號，”凱爾曼說。
 
Greta Elbogen is an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor. Members of her family were killed at - Auschwitz-Birkenau during World War II. She said that she was surprised to learn of the swastika's history.
Greta Elbogen 是一位 85 歲的大屠殺幸存者。二戰(zhàn)期間，她的家人在奧斯威辛-比克瑙集中營被殺。她說她很驚訝得知卍字的歷史。
Elbogen said this new information about the symbol means she does not fear the symbol that was used to frighten her.
Elbogen 說關于這個符號的這個新信息意味著她不再害怕那個用來嚇唬她的符號。
 
"Hearing that the swastika is beautiful and sacred to so many people is a blessing. It's time to let go of the past and look to the future," Elbogen said.
“聽到卍字對這么多人來說既美麗又神圣是一種祝福。是時候放下過去，展望未來了，”Elbogen 說。