We are somewhat confused and flustered. We adopted our two beautiful sons from Russia when each one was under a year old, and have raised them as Jews ever since. We were under the impression that if a child is adopted and raised by Jews then the children are considered Jewish. However, during a recent visit to Israel, our cousins told us that the children aren’t considered technically Jewish until they convert. This was difficult for us to swallow and want to find out if it’s true. Also, how is it possible to convert small children if they don’t have the maturity and understanding to accept upon themselves whatever being Jewish entails?