The Conversion of the Jews

The Conversion of the Jews Summary | Detailed Summary

As this story begins, two Jewish boys, Itzie Lieberman and Ozzie Freedman, are having an argument about the existence of Jesus Christ and the circumstances of his birth. Itzie, like Rabbi Binder, the boys' Hebrew schoolteacher, does not believe that Jesus was born of a virgin; rather he believes that Mary conceived Jesus in the usual way, through sexual intercourse. Ozzie argues that if it is possible for God to create heaven and earth, why is it so unreasonable to assume He can also arrange for a virgin birth? Ozzie tells his friend that when he posed this question to Rabbi Binder the previous day, he raised the ire of his teacher who demanded to meet with his mother. Since this is the third time such a meeting is needed, Ozzie finds himself in danger of not being having a bar-mitzvah.

That evening, Ozzie knows her has to tell his mother about what had transpired in Hebrew school. However, when she comes home from work, she immediately begins the task of lighting the Sabbath candles, a ritual that Ozzie finds to be spiritually uplifting. When she finishes, Ozzie tells her about the meeting with Rabbi Binder. Upon explaining why the meeting is necessary, his mother slaps him.

Wednesday arrives, and Ozzie finds himself back in Hebrew school. It is four o'clock in the afternoon and as Rabbi Binder announces to the class that it is free-discussion time, Yakov Blotnik, the old custodian, was polishing a window in the rear of the room. Blotnik, because of his seemingly constant mumbling, is a curiosity to most of the students in the school.

At first, Ozzie is reluctant to suggest a topic. His reluctance stems from the fact that earlier that afternoon, Rabbi Binder chastised him for not reading quickly enough from the Hebrew book. When Ozzie protested that reading quickly prevented him from understanding the text, the rabbi told him he was not showing adequate progress. In an attempt to appease his teacher, Ozzie began to read at a rapid pace, but quickly stopped and told the rabbi that he did not understand the words. This angered the teacher who and resulted Ozzie receiving a verbal lashing.

Now intimidated, Ozzie's classmates remain quiet as Rabbi Binder prods them for a discussion topic. When a small noise comes from Ozzie's direction, the rabbi suggests that he shares his thoughts with the remainder of the class. Ozzie tells his teacher that he forgot what he was going to say, an explanation the teacher does not accept. Prodded further, Ozzie repeats the question that had gotten him into trouble during the previous week: why can't God make anything He wants to make?

As the rabbi thinks of his answer, Itzie makes a gesture to his back, which causes the rest of the class to laugh. As Binder turns his back to Ozzie to quiet the room, Ozzie erupts in a torrent of frustration and accuses the rabbi of not having enough knowledge about God to be able to adequately answer the question. The rabbi orders Ozzie to apologize, which he refuses to do. Binder reaches out to calm Ozzie down, but in the process, hits him directly on the nose, causing it to bleed. Frightened, Ozzie runs from the classroom and toward the building's roof.

Because Ozzie is able to outrun his teacher, he reaches the roof first and bolts the door behind him. As he stands on the roof's edge, Ozzie begins to wonder if the events of the past few minutes actually happened. The voice of his teacher on the street below convinces his that he indeed did occur. The rabbi tells him to come down immediately and although Ozzie agrees to do so, he really has no intention of moving.

Meanwhile, Yakov Blotnik, the custodian, surveying the proceedings, decides to call the fire department for assistance. Soon, four fire engines arrive and a yellow net is stretched out for Ozzie to jump into. When Ozzie does not immediately jump, one of the firemen talks to him and suggests that he jump into the net. Ozzie replies that he is going to jump and then runs to the other side of the roof where there is no net below waiting to catch him. When the firemen run with the net to the spot below where he is standing, Ozzie runs back to the other side of the roof. They continue to do this a few more times, until the firemen are no longer able to keep up. As this transpires, Rabbi Binder implores Ozzie to not jump, while his friends encourage him to leap from the roof.

Soon, Mrs. Freedman, Ozzie's mother, arrives for her appointment with Rabbi Binder. Seeing her son on the roof, she appeals to the rabbi to get him down. Binder tells her that he cannot, that it appears as though Ozzie wants to listen to his friends and jump from the roof. As Ozzie remains on the roof, he contemplates whether to jump. Unable to decide by himself, he wishes he were able to reach through the sky to the sun and find a coin with either the words "Jump" or "Don't Jump." Then, he asks his mother to kneel beside Rabbi Binder before ordering everyone else to do the same.

After everyone is kneeling, he asks Rabbi Binder if he believes in God. When the rabbi says that he does believe in God, Ozzie asks if he believes God is capable of doing anything. When the rabbi begins to protest, Ozzie demands him to say that God can do anything. Finally, he orders the rabbi to tell him that God can allow a child to be conceived without intercourse. After the rabbi makes this statement, Ozzie orders his mother to say the same thing before making the rest of the crowd repeat it as well.

After a few moments, Ozzie's mother calls up to him. Ozzie, weak and emotional, tells his mother that it was not right for her or for Rabbi Binder to hit him when he has questions about God. With this finally said, Ozzie jumps from the roof and into the net.