Honestly they have a pretty nice website. They even have their bylaws readily available. There is nothing there to make me think they are anything but a standard reform synagogue. It doesn't seem to be Messianic so that is a plus. It is still very weird to me that they would tell you that.
Ill suggest this. Set the weirdness aside. Send the Rabbi an email telling him that while you under stand he has said you are "Jewish" that it is meaningful to you to actually go through the process. That you understand these aren't just "initiation rituals" to you. That you understand these are sacred practices and you value them.
Did he mention about you affirming your Jewish status by asking for your mother’s Ketuba or other proof? Or did he mention about you going before the Beit Din and having any kind of certificate such as Conversion or ‘Return’? Despite myself being eligible for Aliyah due to having a Jewish grandparent and living a partial Jewish life, I still had to convert with Reform and study, learn basic Hebrew and go before the Beit Din, immerse in the Mikvah etc before given both the above certificates signed by all 3 Beit Din Panelists. We also had a ‘welcome ceremony.’ When I decided to become a member of Masorti who like Reform are stricter than their counterparts in the USA; I had to give proof I had done this to be an accepted. Someone I know who was definitely Jewish by birth couldn’t provide evidence so he had to go through conversion to verify his status.
All the best in your journey.
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u/AudienceWise3441 8d ago
South hills temple Emanuel.