宁静的以色列

□文/唐纲

宁静的以色列

□文/唐纲

耶路撒冷城

轻些，再轻些，别让脚步踏出的声响打破以色列宁静的蔚蓝色天空。

以色列，曾经长年饱受战火，近年又受地区纷争而终日难以安宁，其定格在人们心中的印记是：此地危险。今年6月，我们一行人走进了以色列，感受到的确实一片大相径庭的宁静天空。

宁静的隔离墙

要去以色列了，心有些忐忑，因为安全。有朋友开玩笑说：“去当战地记者吗？”并不断提醒我们：“要多加小心。”

或许因为新闻宣传的原因，在我们多数人的心中，以色列就是长年炮火、弥漫硝烟的国度。

6月，我们从重庆出发，先到北京，再坐6个半小时的飞机到莫斯科，再坐近4个小时的飞机才到以色列特拉维夫机场。此时，我们正式踏在了这个“战火硝烟”的以色列土地。

出了机场，我们的车辆沿以巴隔离墙飞驰，路上车水马龙，川流不息，令人完全忘却了“巴以冲突”。

自2002年6月起，以色列开始沿1967年战争前以巴边界线修建高8米、长约700公里的安全隔离墙，其目的是将约旦河西岸巴勒斯坦地区与以色列彻底隔离开来，阻止巴激进组织成员渗透到以境内实施袭击。

隔离墙是我们最熟悉的名字，也是让我们一行人最兴奋的“景点”。车辆一路奔驰，我们都拿出各自的手机、相机等设备不停地拍摄。一路上，隔离墙就是我们的话题。我们向导游提出各种各样的有关隔离墙的问题。

隔离墙由数米高的钢筋混凝土墙体、铁丝网、高压电网、电子监控系统组成，并由以色列巡逻队和哨兵进行警戒。但我们并没有看见荷枪实弹的哨兵和巡逻队。一路上井然有序的车流告诉我们，这里一切都是那么宁静。原来在来前所有的担忧仿佛都是多余。

“这里其实很安全。”导游小姐说。她是一位中国人。

隔离墙

没有哭声的“哭墙”

耶路撒冷是位于近东黎凡特地区的一座历史悠久的城市，在地理上位于犹大山地，介于地中海与死海之间，被誉为三大宗教（犹太教、基督教和伊斯兰教）的圣城。

“哭墙”又名西墙

以色列“哭墙”是犹太教的遗迹，又称“西墙”，在耶路撒冷东区老城的东部，长160英尺，由大石砌成。犹太人认为哭墙是当年圣殿留下的唯一遗迹，因而是犹太教最神圣的祈祷地方。许多世纪以来，犹太教徒都到这里来面壁祈祷，每当追忆历史上圣殿被毁情景，便不禁嚎啕大哭一场，哭墙因此而得名。以色列人发誓决不废弃“哭墙”。只有在这里，他们才能找到血脉相承的归属感和认同感，好比中国人认祖归宗，落叶归根。

“哭墙”看起来和一堵巨大的石墙无异。1981年哭墙被列入《世界遗产目录》。据说每天都可看见犹太人自动分成男女两拨，分别在哭墙的北南两段祈祷，他们常常手捧《圣经》，一边祈祷，一边点头（根据犹太教规，凡是念到圣人名字的时候必须点头），有的人更是搬把椅子面对哭墙，一整天都沉浸在与上帝的对话中。

哭墙，听起来就这么的满含悲愤。我站在了哭墙脚下。这里多少人在面壁祈祷。这里虽然名为“哭”墙，但听不到一丝哭声，他们都在心里默默地与上帝对话、祈祷。

哭墙，也显得那么宁静。这就是以色列。我也遵循当地习俗，把写着心愿的纸条塞入了哭墙的墙缝，为家人或朋友祈祷。

如果你没有看到过任何哭墙的照片，仅凭各种表述，一定觉得这里非常伟岸才对。实际上并不大，只是很短的一段城墙。只是觉得这里实在适合静静地坐上往往的游客、士兵、信徒，和希伯来白胡子老人聊天，看那些年满13岁的男孩子们在父亲兄弟的簇拥下来到西墙前举行仪式。

墙意味着某种空间的隔离，意味某种信仰，意味某种凭吊，意味着人乃至一个民族的过去、现在以及未来。之所欲“哭”，这是为了他们的信仰、土地、家园、亲人……

海法市巴哈伊教空中花园

美丽的海滨之城——海法

海法，以色列北部港口城市，以色列第三大城市，仅次于耶路撒冷和特拉维夫。它西濒地中海，背倚迦密山。海法是”美丽的海岸“之意。

联合国教科文组织世界遗产委员会于2008年把以色列海法市的巴哈伊圣地列为世界文化遗产。巴哈伊圣地包括海法的巴哈伊花园，和位于阿栲附近的巴哈欧拉神庙。世界遗产委员会评价其不仅具有普世的精神价值，在建筑风格和设计上也具备独特的文化价值。

海法是一座美丽的海滨城市，拥有民族宗教融合的包容，其中巴哈伊教的“空中花园”举世闻名。它被称为“世界新七大奇迹”之一，被载入世界遗产名录。

沿一条大街向迦密山上望去，令人惊叹的“空中花园”就展现在眼前了。它的中轴线是花园的主要通道，台阶又将各层平台串联起来。每一层平台都设计有对称的喷水池、花坛、石雕，而每一层融合了欧洲、地中海不同风格的石雕、铁艺的雕花、喷水池的形状，花坛的造型，又各不相同，各有特色。辉煌美丽的巴哈伊空中花园，与迦密山的环境绝妙地融为一体，是喧闹嘈杂的城市中，安宁静谧的绿洲。

然后，我们驱车驶上山巅，俯瞰城市和港口，现代化的城市镶嵌在一望无际的大海边，金色的阳光撒在大海上，金光熠熠。在阳光下，城市与花园完美地融合。空中花园苍翠、简洁。据说，花园建有18层梯田平台花园，整个梯田花园从山顶到山脚延伸一公里，垂直高度225米，最大坡度63度，宽度从60米到400米不等。从陵寝平台向上和向下各有九级梯田平台花园，以陵寝平台中央大殿为中心点，设计九个同心圆，向外发散出来。梯田花园逐步地由规则对称变为自然状态，离花园轴线台阶最近的两侧对称装点着草坪、花坛、覆盖着长春藤的石墙和修剪成一定形状的灌木丛和树木，稍远一些的两侧，则被设计为开放式的花园，主要种植的植物多是从中东及其他气候、土壤和水资源与以色列相近的地区移栽的橄榄树、角豆树、橡树及多年生灌木。

当晚，我们就住在山上的一个酒店里，临窗就能眺望城市和大海。

特拉维夫的“白墙”

特拉维夫—雅法，通常简称为特拉维夫，是以色列第二大城市。

特拉维夫滨临东地中海，是以色列最大的都会区，是该国人口最稠密的地带，也是以色列的经济枢纽。特拉维夫被认为已出现了成为世界级城市的趋势，并被列为中东生活费用最昂贵的大城市。

特拉维夫市最初创建于1909年，是由一批犹太移民为逃避邻近古老的港口城市雅法昂贵的房价而兴建，逐渐地，特拉维夫的发展超过了以阿拉伯裔为主的雅法。在以色列建国两年以后的1950年，特拉维夫和雅法两市合并成立特拉维夫-雅法市。今天，特拉维夫被认为是以色列最为国际化的经济中心。该市具有活跃、摩登、世界主义的特征，被公认是以色列的文化之都。2003年，该市以包豪斯建筑铸成的特拉维夫白城被联合国教科文组织列为世界遗产。

我们入住的宾馆坐落在特拉维夫的海边，临窗眺望，眼前是一望无际的地中海。沙滩上，几个少年正在欢乐地打着排球，远处的冲浪手随着海浪起起落落，海边大道上，晨跑的人、骑自行车锻炼的人和牵着一群狗的专业遛狗人在悠闲地踱步。在海边运动，已经成为这座城市居民的生活习惯。

特拉维夫的海滨浴场整洁得像一个文静的姑娘，细软白净的沙滩从棕榈树下直铺到海边，一排排黄色的沙滩椅惬意地躺在沙滩上，几个木头搭建的凉亭随意地晒着阳光，阵阵海浪悠闲地在岸边荡漾。这里被誉为地中海最美的海滨的确当之无愧。

大街两边白色的“包豪斯”建筑是特拉维夫市的重要特征。这些建筑的外表为白色或混凝土色，窗户小，墙面多，方正平顶，如火柴盒式样，正面往往有开阔的阳台。“包豪斯”建筑风格诞生于第一次世界大战结束后的德国，由当地的犹太人创立和倡导，后来他们当中的许多人由于生存环境恶化而纷纷移居到尚未建国的以色列区域，也把这种简洁明了的现代主义风格带入了特拉维夫，促成了特拉维夫新城区的急速发展，也缔造了这里独特的建筑风格。2003年，特拉维夫市区由于这些白色的建筑被联合国教科文组织评为世界文化遗产，“特拉维夫白城”的称号也因此享誉全球。

洁净得几乎没有任何杂质的“白墙”告诉人们，这里是一片宁静的天地，何曾被硝烟熏染？

游以攻略：

签证：以色列驻成都总领事馆2014年11月开馆，预计将于今年底前开办个人因私旅游签证，可关注其官方微博：以色列驻成都总领事馆。

交通：目前重庆以色列没有直航，可通过北京、香港中转，两地有以色列航空执飞的直航，分别为每周三班、五班。

货币：谢克尔。1谢克尔 约 1.64 人民币

官方语言：希伯来语、阿拉伯语。不过教育程度较高，使用英语畅通无阻 。

特别感谢：以色列旅游局、 以色列驻成都总领事馆

Quiet，be quieter. Don’t let your footsteps interrupt the tranquil and blue sky of Israel.

Once trapped in war for a long period of time，now Israel is involved in all kinds of regional disputes，unable to enjoy a peaceful moment. at the first thought of Israel，it reminds people that it is a dangerous place. But in June 2015，I went to Israel with my partners and we saw a different Israel where the sky was so tranquil.

City View，Haifa

Tranquil Separation Barrier

Out of consideration of safety，when I was going to Israel，it seemed that I had a butterfl y in my stomach. Some friends made a joke with me and said: “are you going to be a war correspondent there？” also，they kept on reminding us to take care of ourselves there.

Perhaps it was because we had read many reports orother information about Israel from all kinds of news that in our mind，most of us had always thought of Israel as a country where war never ceased and people lived a miserable life.

In June，we started from Chongqing and arrived in Beijing. Then after 6 and a half hours’fl ight，we arrived in Moscow，and fi nally we arrived at Tel aviv airport in Israel after taking airplane for almost 4 hours. From that moment on，we stepped on the land of Israel in the real sense.

Out of the airport，we drove a car speeding along the Palestinian-Israeli separation barrier. There were so many cars coming and going on the way that we completely forgot Palestinian-Israeli confl icts.

Since June 2002，Israel started to build a safe separation barrier which was 8 meters high and 700 kilometers long along the Palestinian-Israeli border before the war in 1967，aiming to completely separate Palestinian areas at the West Bank from Israel and to prevent members of radical organizations in Palestine from entering the border of Israel to launch attacks.

The separation barrier was the most familiar name with us and it was also the most exciting“scenic spot” for us. as the car was speeding on the way，all of us took out our cell phones，cameras and other facilities to record the scenery. The separation barrier was our topic on the way and we asked the tourist guide all kinds of questions about it.

The barrier consisted of wire entanglement，grid system，electronic monitoring and control system and a wall of reinforced concrete which was meters high. Israel patrols and guards were guarding against it. However，no guards or patrolmen were seen with loaded guns. The good traffic order on the way told us that Israel was a tranquil place，and we had just worried too much.

“actually，Israel is a safe place”，said our tourist guide，a Chinese lady.

The Separation Barrier along the border of Palestinian-Israel

“Wailing Wall” without Any Sound of Crying

Hailed as the Holy City in three main religions（Judaism，Christianity and Islam），Jerusalem is a city with a long history near Levant in the Near East. It is situated in Judea geographically and located between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea.

The “Wailing Wall” in Israel，also known as the “West Wall”，was a relic of Judaism. Located in the east of the ancient town in east region of Jerusalem，it is 160 feet long and was made of stones. The Jews thought that the “Wailing Wall”was the only relic left by the Temple of God，so it became the holiest place for Judaist prayers. For many centuries，the Judaists came here to pray，facing with the wall，and when they recalled the situation where the Temple of God was destroyed，they couldn’t help crying sadly，hence the name the “Wailing Wall”. The Israeli swore they would never abandon it. It was only in this place that they could fi nd a feeling of belonging and a sense of identity，which was just like Chinese people’s awareness of seeking their ancestors and fi nding the real home.

The “Wailing Wall” was nothing but a huge stone wall. and it was listed into the World Heritage in 1981. It was said that there were many Jews who would divide themselves into two groups，a group for women，and the other for men. With a Bible in their hands，they would sit at the northern and southern ends of the “Wailing Wall”，nodding while praying （according to the doctrines of Judaism，the worshippers must nod whenever the name of a saint is mentioned）. Some people even moveda chair here，facing with the “Wailing Wall” to immerse themselves in the dialogue with God.

The name of “Wailing Wall” sounded sad. Now I was standing at the foot of it. There were so many people praying here. although it was called the “Wailing Wall”，I couldn’t hear any sound of crying at all，because these people were praying and talking with God in their mind silently.

The “Wailing Wall” is but tranquil，a typical feature of Israel. and I crammed a slip of paper，with my good wishes to family or friends written on it，into the crevice of the wall according to local customs.

If you didn’t see any photos about the “Wailing Wall”，you must think it is a magnifi cent place by all kinds of expressions. actually，it’s not so big and just a very short passage of wall where it is fi t and comfortable to sit quietly for an afternoon or several afternoons，observing visitors，soldiers and disciples coming and going，chatting with a Hebrew man with white beard，seeing those 13-year-old boys having their ceremonies before the “West Wall” accompanied by their father and brothers.

The Wall meant a lot，including the separation of spaces，a belief，a eulogy，and even the past，present and future of a person or a nation. The Wall was “Wailing” for people’s belief，land，home and relatives…

The Wailing War，Jerusalem

Haifa—A Beautiful Coastal City

Bordering on the Mediterranean in the west on the slopes of Mount Carmel，Haifa，a seaport city in northern Israel，was the third largest city of the country. Though not as large as Jerusalem and Tel aviv，Haifa was a beautiful city as its name，meaning beautiful coast in Hebrew，indicated.

The holy land - Bahá'í of Haifa in Israel was listed as a world cultural heritage in 2008 by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. It included Bahá’í Gardens and the golden-domed Shrine of the Báb near akko. according to the Committee，Bahá’í had not only a universal spiritual value，but also a unique cultural value in terms of architectural style and design.

Haifa was really a beautiful coastal city featured with the harmony between different religions. as a world heritage，“Garden in the air”of Bahaism in it was regarded as one of “the new seven wonders of the world” and was famous throughout the world.

Walking in a street，we would be happy to see the amazing “Garden in the air” before our eyes if we would look in the direction of Mount Carmel. Run through the Garden was its axis，which was also its main passage，and its many a platform was connected by steps. Each fl oor was decorated with symmetrical fountains，fl ower beds and stone carvings. With a mixture of the European and Mediterranean styles，the stone carvings，iron decorative patterns，fountains and flower beds，though different in sizes，vied against each other but stood out as itself. Completely integrating with the environment of Mount Carmel，the splendidly beautiful “Garden in the air” was just like a serene oasis in a noisy city.

Then，we drove our car to the mountain top to have a bird’s-eye view of the whole city and its ports. Before our eyes was a modern city embedded in boundless sea，shining brightlyunder the golden sunshine. The city merged with the Garden perfectly in the sun. It was said that the Bahá’í Gardens were composed of 18-layer terrace gardens，which stretched almost one kilometer long from the mountain top to the foot with a vertical height of 225 meters，a slope of 63 degrees and a width varying from 60 meters to 400 meters. There were 9-layer terrace gardens down from the Shrine. Nine concentric circles were designed to spread outside with the golden dome of the Shine as its center. The shapes of gardens varied from regular symmetry to a natural form，whose steps closest to the axis were decorated at both sides with lawns，flower beds，ivycovered stone walls，symmetrically-trimmed bushes and trees. a little bit far away were open-style gardens where olives，algarrobas，oaks and perennial shrubs were planted. These plants were transplanted from the Middle East and places whose climate，soil and water resources were similar to Israel.

We stayed in a hotel that night at the mountain top where we could overlook the city and the sea through windows.

The “White Wall” of Tel Aviv

Tel aviv-Jaffa，usually called Tel aviv，is the second largest city of Israel.

Bordering on the eastern Mediterranean，Tel aviv is not only the largest metropolitan district，but also the most populous area and the economic hub of Israel. Besides，it is developing into a world-class city and it is regarded as the most expensive city in the Middle East in terms of living expenses.

First built in 1909，Tel aviv was constructed by a group of Jewish immigrants who wanted to get rid of the expensive housing price of the port city Jaffa，and gradually the newlydeveloped city was much better than Jaffa，where the majority of people were arab descendants. In 1950，2 years after the founding of Israel，Tel aviv was united with Jaffa，becoming Tel aviv-Jaffa. Now，Tel aviv is regarded as the economic center with the highest degree of internationalization in Israel. Moreover，it has become Israel’s capital of culture for its dynamic，modernized and cosmopolitan features. In 2003，the Bauhausian “White Wall” in Tel aviv was listed as a UNESCO world heritage.

The hotel we lived in was located besides the sea of Tel aviv. We could see the boundless Mediterranean through the windows. On the beach some teenagers were playing volleyball happily，and some surfers far away were rising and falling along with the sea waves. On the road nearby the sea，we could see people jogging，riding bicycles and walking casually with their dogs. For local residents，it was a habit to exercise by the sea.

The bathing beach of Tel aviv was as clean as a quite girl，with soft and clean beach stretching all the way from the land under the palm trees to the seaside. Rows of yellow beach chairs were lying on the beach with comfort，wood pavilions bathing in the sun and sea waves kissing the seaside at leisure. This was indeed the most beautiful coast in the Mediterranean.

The white Bauhausian buildings on both sides of the street，as an important feature of Tel aviv，were all white or in the color of concrete with small windows，many walls，spatial balconies in the front and upright and foursquare fl attops. They looked like matchboxes. Born in Germany after World War I，the Bauhausian architectural style was created and advocated by local Jews who later immigrated into the unestablished Israel because of the deterioration of living conditions. The emigrants brought this concise modernist architectural style into Tel aviv，promoting the rapid development of the new city regions and forming the unique style of architecture as we were seeing now. In 2003，Tel aviv was listed as a world heritage by UNESCO due to these white buildings and therefore，the city was known as the “White City of Tel aviv” in the entire world.

The pure “White Wall”，without any impurities，were telling people that this was a tranquil place not contaminated by the“smoke of gunpowder”.

Tour Guide:

Visa：Israel Consulate-General in Chengdu was opened in November 2014； it is expected to be opened for the personal private tourist visa by the end of this year. You can follow its offi cial Weibo at以色列驻成都总领事馆(Israel Consulate-General in Chengdu).

Transport：Currently there is no direct flight from Chongqing to Israel； however，you can transfer in Beijing or Hongkong，where both respectively have Israel airlines fl y directly，to arrive at the destination three or fi ve times a week.

Currency: Shekel. 1 Shk equals about 1.64 Rmb.

Offi cial languages: Hebrew，arabic. However，English is also available there.

Special thanks to: Israel Tourism Bureau，Israel Consulate-General in Chengdu

Translated by Li Yunbi

Tranquil Israel

□Written by Tang Gang