Goodbye Columbus

Oscar “Ozzie” Friedman tells his friend Itzie Lieberman about the previous day’s class at Hebrew School, which Itzie missed. Rabbi Binder speaks of Jesus as a historical figure, telling the class that although he may have been a real person, born to the parents Mary and Joseph, he is not actually God’s son. Ozzie challenges Rabbi Binder on this, saying that if God could make the world in six days, why couldn’t he make a woman pregnant without intercourse. Ozzie often speaks out in class, and his mother is frequently forced to discuss his behavior with Rabbi Binder. He once asked Rabbi Binder why the Jewish people are a chosen people when the Declaration of Independence states that all men are equal.

At home, his mother returns from work and immediately lights three candles, two for the Sabbath and a third for his dead father. She grows emotional every time she lights the candle, and Ozzie ensures that it is quiet when she does so, silencing the ringing phone immediately. After the candles are lit, he tells her that she must speak to Rabbi Binder next Wednesday because of what he said, and she hits him for the first time in his life.