In the book, the Bellarosa Connection signifies Billy Rose's Madison Square Garden benefit for the Jews of Europe on the most immediate level, but, more deeply, becomes a point of departure for Bellow to consider the American Jewish response to European Jews' experience during World War II. As Bellow's protagonist comes to grips with the past, his experience distances American Jewry's position from that of its European counterparts.
In the novel, the Bellarosa Connection represents Billy Rose's charity event for European Jewish refugees on a fundamental level, but, more profoundly, serves as a catalyst for Bellow to consider the divergent views of American Jews regarding their European brethren during World War II. As his protagonist grapples with the past, his experience highlights the disparity between American and European Jewish perspectives.