Despite the fact that Ozzie Freedman and Itzie Lieberman are good friends in the short story "The Conversion of the Jews" by Philip Roth, they have a very different approach to their religion. These two character's actions, especially Itzie's, prove that nobody can force a religious belief on a person and expect it to be deep and long lasting. Through the descriptions of Ozzie and Itzie, this theme will be proven.
Ozzie Freedman is a very inquisitive 13 year old boy, not necessarily one who is against the religious beliefs he grew up with, but just someone who asks questions that are important to him. Unfortunately as seen throughout the story, this can often get him in trouble (1861-1863). His reverence to his religion can been seen when he watches his mother light the candles for the Sabbath. It was said that Ozzie thought there should no sound when his mother lit these candles, and like his mother whose eyes were starting to tear, Ozzie felt his own eyes getting glassy (1863). This proves that Ozzie takes his religion very seriously, and has a deep appreciation for it. When reading in his Hebrew book during his religion class, Ozzie read slowly so he could understand the words, even though he was taunted by Rabbi Binder to read faster (1864). Although Rabbi Binder put him down for reading slower, Ozzie was happier that way because when reading slowly he can understand more about his religion, proving that Ozzie did indeed care a great deal.
Even through Ozzie has obvious awe for his religion, he can be a rather defiant individual, acting like almost any 13 child would when they don't get their way. This can be seen several times when he stands up to Rabbi Binder in order to get the answers to such questions like "why couldn't Jesus be the son of God?" However, the biggest proof of his defiance comes when he screams at Rabbi Binder, claiming that the Rabbi doesn't know anything about God.
