Again my rabbi has made me proud to be be a member of Central Reform Congregation. Susan Talve has shown that Catholic parishoners are willing to stand up to Archbishop Raymond Burke in the name of love and interfaith respect. I appreciate the position of my fellow Jews who do not agree with what Susan does, but I think that their objection is due to their lack of understanding of what actually takes place. Obviously, those at St. Cronan Catholic Church (Dec. 19 article) understood that Rabbi Talve sought only to bring our communities together. My thanks to the St. Louis Jewish Light for urging that we work to bring Catholic-Jewish relations back to the norm.

Allan Silverberg, Former VP American Jewish Committee, Chairman of American Jewish Committee Interfaith Committee

Your editorial, “Interfaith Relations: Time for Healing,” was superficial at best. Rabbi Talve’s insult to the Catholic Church is deep and will not simply go away based upon good wishes and nice feelings. Let me ask this: How would the Jewish community feel if a Catholic parish allowed a neo-Nazi group into its building to hold some sort of pagan ritual that they originally wanted to do in a synagogue? (By the way, I am not comparing women to neo-Nazis.) Then, what if another synagogue decided to invite the Catholic pastor who allowed it to happen to a Shabbat or Passover service? Would not the entire Jewish community be rightly outraged?

If you can grasp this, then you can understand the depth of injury which the Catholic Church has received from Rabbi Talve, Central Reform Congregation and one of its own parishes. Such a wound will not go away by appealing to the two groups “to put aside their differences over this issue and return to the positive Catholic-Jewish relations that have been the norm in St. Louis.” Though I certainly can’t speak for Archbishop Burke or the Archdiocese of St. Louis, my guess is that not until a proper apology has been issued by Rabbi Talve and CRC will any resumption of normal relations begin to be even discussed.

Thomas A. Szyszkiewicz, Peterson, Minn.