The Conversion of the Jews

In “The Conversion of the Jews,” Roth explores themes of truth, power, belief, and existentialism/absurdity. Set in the late 1950s, the work fits within the postmodern movement in literature, which seeks to interrogate systems of power and authority that are usually viewed as natural or given. In the story, authority figures lack the knowledge and expertise to competently perform the duties entrusted to them. The prime example is Rabbi Binder, who cannot answer Ozzie’s theological questions and cannot maintain order with his students. The story also questions the authority of God: Ozzie is frustrated by God not demonstrating that he can do anything he wants—generating his obsession with whether the virgin birth was possible.

The short story employs humor to critique religion, power, and claims to absolute truth. The story’s tone is established immediately with the conversation between Ozzie and Itzie. They have no reverence for Jewish traditions and little regard for Rabbi Binder’s authority. Furthermore, their language is not elevated in the sense typically associate with “literature.” Ozzie also humorously subverts the authority of the rabbi and later his mother and community. The moment of “conversion” at Ozzie’s hands is humorous because of the absurdity of the situation and because it questions the validity of religious belief. Ozzie inverts the power structure of his school and community, and thus calls into question systems of power and order. Rabbi Binder’s “free-discussion time” is shown to be anything but free as Ozzie’s genuine questions of faith are quickly suppressed and ignored.

The inversion of power extends to the final lesson that Ozzie imparts to his mother and teacher: “Mamma don’t you see—you shouldn’t hit me. He shouldn’t hit me. You shouldn’t hit me about God, Mamma. You should never hit anybody about God” (324). The son parents the parent; the student instructs the teacher. Once this lesson is imparted, he is ready to come down from the roof. Roth employs several juxtapositions to deepen the critique of power and authority. For example, Ozzie’s spiritual questions are met with physical violence. The “conversion” is not genuine; it is an act of force, not a moment of genuine spiritual revelation and unity. Despite this, Ozzie feels relieved and relinquishes his power. After his authoritarian revenge against his community, Ozzie’s fall into the firefighters’ net is like an angelic vision. The narrator says, “‘Now I can come down…’ And he did, right into the center of the yellow net that glowed in the evening’s edge like an overgrown halo” (324). Ultimately, the story serves as an allegory of the relationship between Jesus (Ozzie) and the Pharisees (Rabbi Binder) as depicted in the New Testament of the Bible.