Thank you for “The irony of my Mennonite-ness” by Lucinda J. Kinsinger and “The courage to admit failure” by John D. Roth (June 18). Growing up in an Amish home in Garrett County, Md., during the Great Depression may have contributed to my deep appreciation for these articles.
Simon Schrock, Catlett, Va.
Thank you for Alain Epp Weaver’s superb review of European Mennonites and the Holocaust (June 18). Coming to terms with our history of antisemitism will require determination and good will. Seeking forgiveness, freeing ourselves from bitterness and resentment is one thing; moving toward reconciliation is quite another. Apologies with integrity not only lament and acknowledge the past; they have the potential to restore trust. Paul Hawken in Blessed Unrest gets it right: “Inspiration is not garnered from litanies of what is flawed; it resides in humanity’s willingness to restore, redress, reform, recover, reimagine and reconsider.”
Albert C. Lobe, Kitchener, Ont.
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