BOB ABERNETHY: Chris and I both want to talk about what the crucifix means to Christians and Jews with Blu Greenberg, an Orthodox Jewish writer in New York, and Peter Steinfels, who teaches at Georgetown and writes the "Beliefs" column for THE NEW YORK TIMES. Welcome to you both.

Mrs. Greenberg, what do you think of the idea that the crucifix can be a symbol for all religions, not just Christians?

Mrs. BLU GREENBERG (Author): I don't -- I think it's a poor idea, and I think most Jews would find fault with it for a variety of reasons, one of which [is] the memories that are associated with the cross, the memories that Jews have associated with the cross. But the other is I think just simply, on an ideological level, one group's religious symbol should not be appropriated or [neutralized] or universalized by other groups. I think they should remain strong symbols, and that part of living in a pluralist society is that we have to learn to respect each other's symbols and stories.

CHRIS ROBERTS: Well, Peter, what's the Christian perspective on that? Will Christians be offended by what Potok is proposing?

Mr. PETER STEINFELS (NEW YORK TIMES): I don't really think they will be in the sense -- or maybe that they should be offended in the sense that crosses and crucifixes are so ubiquitous, everywhere in society. They're used as jewelry, decorations, punk rocker earrings. It seems to me that the efforts of a serious artist to deal with this in a, granted, more universalizing way [is] something that Christians ought to keep in perspective.

ROBERTS: But, Blu, back to another comment that Potok made in the report, the idea that the crucifix evokes images of Jewish persecution. -- is that still a living, present-day reality for Jews?