The Conversion of the Jews

By Philip Roth

Thirteen-year-old Ozzie's questioning of what he is taught in religious class leads to a tense confrontation with his rabbi. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0886825067
• ISBN13: 9780886825065
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Creative Education
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.2" x 8.7"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

one of the all time great short stories

The Conversion of the Jews is one of the best short stories I have ever read. I'm not Jewish, so what a miracle to find Roth's Itzie confronting the rabbi in the same way I was confronting nuns with similarly confrontational questions - and at about the same age. (There wasn't any hitting involved, but parents were called.) From a simply technical perspective, Roth keeps the energy of the story going ever higher (appropriately enough) until.... Well, you'll just have to read the story. I first ran across this story in a battered copy of `Best Short Stories of 1959' which had been abandoned at some summer house. I don't remember any other stories in the book. Whether you are Itzie, `always with the questions,' or Blotnik, for whom things are either `Good for the Jews or Bad for the Jews,' there is one take-away message from `The Conversion of the Jews' we can all agree on: You should never hit anybody about God.

Real, yet surreal. My favorite pick out of hundreds.

I felt that this story illustrated creative thematic continuity. The plot is precisely orchestrated. The symbolism is clear and allegoric. Both Old and New Testament allusions flow between the lines. The theme is intense and unified. The setting is literal, yet transcends figurative meanings.The narrator's point of view is dramatic. The theme is both illustrative and moving. The style is connotative of much deeper meanings. The diction is creatively suggestive. The characters are plausible and consistent.I think this is a masterpiece! The conclusion is strong and symbolic. Throughout the story, Roth saturates and consistently reinforces his theme in a satire of religious hypocrisy. I give you ten stars for this one! **********Patty Stroe