There is a special mitzvah to convert zera Yisrael, children of a Jewish-from-birth father

MY

father was born Jewish. He grew up in the US, on the East Coast. His family held a Pesach Seder every year, and they lit a menorah every Chanukah. They were also careful not to eat pork or shellfish. That was as far as their Jewish connection went.

My mother was born in a Christian country in the Far East and grew up during a stormy civil war. Her family was not Christian; they belonged to a small, secular community. The war made my mother’s childhood challenging in many ways. As a young adult, she had to deal with major disruptions. Bombs would fall as she walked to law school. Finally, knowing that the training she could get in her birth country could not compare to the training she would get in the USA, my mother made her way to the States to continue her education.

While in university, my mother met another student, a few years older than herself, who was working towards his law degree as well. She was a hardworking, determined young woman, and the other law student was impressed. That student, of course, was my father. When he brought my mother to meet his parents, they were also impressed by the unique combination of my mother’s kind manner, steely determination, and gentle humor. Four years later, my parents got married.