Question
I am in charge of signing up new members at the synagogue I attend. The synagogue is in a transition between rabbis now. We are not getting a new rabbi until September and we don’t even know yet who that new rabbi will be. This past Shabbos, a man we saw for the first time ever starting came to services. He says he wants to join as a member. I talked to him on the phone today and he revealed to me that his mother is a convert to Judaism in the Conservative movement, and he had a bris and bar mitzvah. I don’t know if he is really a Jew or not. Can I accept him as a member?

Question
Hello rabbi(s). It is me again. For the last two and a half years, I've been very very drawn to the nation of Israel and the Torah and God. I've even kind of tried to convert to become a Jew several times (but that never went through). As of yet I just keep the seven commandments for the descendants of Noach. I also know that my mother's mother is Italian, and both her father and mother's side (my grandmother's mother is from a town near Rome) have Jewish DNA, according to my grandmother's DNA test. (My father is definitely Jewish, however.) What is your tradition/advice regarding this (ascertaining one being Jewish or not)? Thank you and may God bless you.

Question
I come from Jewish and German heritage, and I've always found myself to be lost when it comes to talking about my family's culture. On my dad's side of the family, my great-great grandfather is descended from Jews. He was not a practicing Jew and neither were his children or grandchildren, but was descended from and was related to other Jewish people. I feel like I don't have the right to say that I'm Jewish, despite having that heritage. I have thought about converting as an adult but I don't know how to go about it. I would like advice as to what to do and how I should go about converting and celebrating my heritage.

Question
I know that if a child is born out of wedlock it is considered a mamzer. If it is conceived out of wedlock does it hold the same status? If the child is conceived out of wedlock and the parents subsequently marry before it is born does the child still have the status of mamzer? Thank you in advance for your reply.

Question
My wife, who is not Jewish, has said she will convert, but for my benefit. Not because it is important for her. Why am I so adamant that she want it for herself?

Question
I grew up in a Jewish family, was raised going to shul, and had a bat mitzvah. I've been active at my university's Hillel, and my Jewish identity is really important to me. I'm almost 22 years old, and I just found out that my grandmother on my mother's side isn't Jewish (although her husband, my grandfather, was). My mother and her family are from the Soviet Union, and she was raised with all of the stigma and struggle associated with being Jewish (as well as with Jewish cultural practices). My mom has always identified as Jewish, so I never thought to ask about our family history. I'm not quite sure what to do -- I know that this means that I'm not Jewish, but my identity and how people view me hasn't changed. I know that Jewishness is matrilineal, so I would need to convert in order for my children to be considered Jewish, but what would the conversion process look like for me? Would it be different than the standard process in any way?