Reflection: CONVERSION OF THE JEWS

  This was the second short story of the Post War Period literature, a rather confusing and causing one to ponder about its plot. This 'Conversion of the Jews' is dealing with a sensitive issue of Christianity and Jew, and a seemingly ironic fact of how all the protagonists, who are all Jews, convert to Christianity. This story is an idealistic piece that falls perfectly under the category of the Post-war literature as it deals with the social, historical, and religious events following the Second World War(WW II). 

  Oscar Freedman is the main protagonist in 'Conversion of the Jews', and I would say that he appeared to be a more of an unsophisticated teenager without much logic in the very beginning of the story. The most unique characteristic of Ozzie(as called in the story) is his inquisitiveness of what is happening around him, and how he challenges the common beliefs held by the society. At first, Ozzie questions the existence of God and what he can actually do when Rabbi Binder tells him that God can do Anything, and that God can even make a child without a sexual intercourse. Because of his vehement thirst for truth, Ozzie gets involved in many troubles, including a major one when Binder accidentally hits him on the nose and causes him to nosebleed. 

  In this story, Ozzie gets to experience evolving spirituality. Unlike Ltzie who acts more like a thoughtless kid by focusing on the word "intercourse", Ozzie desires to know how he can believe what Binder tells him about God. He is devoted, although not exactly believing what Binder had taught him, to find out more. 

  This story also shows how Rabbi Binder, the other students, and Oscar's mother are all bigoted, and Ozzie is religiously dedicated. Spiritual dogma is discrete from religious devotion; Oscar believes in omnipotent God.