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As we said, a convert should not be accepted if he or she is insincere. This includes those who wish to convert to be eligible for financial benefits, to receive Israeli citizenship, or to marry a Jew. Nevertheless, if an Orthodox rabbinic court made the mistake of converting someone insincere, the conversion is valid since it was done in accordance with Jewish law.
In recent generations, in the wake of turmoil, wars, and spiritual upheavals, religious authority has weakened. Masses of Jews have moved away from tradition, and many have intermarried. As a result, we are now confronted with difficult questions. For example, what is to be done when prospective converts are children or grandchildren of Jews, but their mothers are not Jewish? On the one hand, it would seem that without the family connection, they would not be interested in converting. In other words, the primary motivator for their conversion is not identification with the Jewish people's spiritual mission. On the other hand, since they are of Jewish descent, they already have a deep connection to the Jewish nation, and likely have righteous ancestors, so it seems right to make efforts to return them to their people.
The question also arises as how to treat a Jewish man whose partner is a non-Jewish woman. If she converts, the couple can marry and live together according to Jewish law, but if she does not, their children are likely to assimilate and be lost to us.
In practice, the accepted ruling is as long as such conversion candidates are prepared to accept Torah and mitzva observance, we should convert them.
