Asher Lopatin (born September 1, 1964) is the Director of Community Relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor.
Previously, he was the President of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (2013–2018) and the spiritual leader of Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel Congregation in Chicago before that.
[14] On August 30, 2012, YCT's rabbinical school announced that Lopatin would succeed Rabbi Avi Weiss, its founder, as president of the organization.
[15] Chicago Board of Rabbis; Vice President (Open Orthodox)[16] International Rabbinic Fellowship; Board Member (Open Orthodox)[17] Chicago Jewish Day School; Board of Trustees, Ex Officio ("halachic, inclusive")[18] American Jewish Congress Young Leadership Award, 1998 Maimonides School Pillar of Maimonides Award, 2000 Associated Talmud Torahs of Chicago Keter Torah Award, 2001 Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Honorary Smicha, 2002 Newsweek Top 25 Pulpit Rabbis (#22), 2008 Newsweek America's 25 Most Vibrant Congregations (Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel), 2009 Newsweek Top 50 Rabbis (#21), 2011 Newsweek Top 50 Rabbis (#24), 2012[19] Lopatin has expressed a lack of affinity to Orthodox Judaism, expressing that the denominational lines separating Jews are less important than the commitments shared by Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and non-aligned Jews.
While there is a lot to critique in the Orthodox world – Modern, Centrist and Chareidi – all of us sometimes take a strident attitude that may not exhibit sufficient respect and love for our fellow Jews and their motivations.