Asher Lopatin
Encyclopedia
Asher Lopatin is an American rabbi. He is rabbi of congregation Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel
, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Chicago
.
Lopatin is a graduate of the Maimonides School
, received a B.A. in International Relations and Islamic Studies from Boston University
, and was awarded a Master of Philosophy
from the University of Oxford
in Medieval Arabic Thought. He has done doctoral work, also at Oxford , in Islamic Fundamentalist Attitudes Toward Jews. In that connection, he has authored a chapter in Muslim Jewish Relations, titled: "The Uncircumcised Jewish Heart (in Islamic and Qur'anic Thought)." Lopatin won a Rhodes Scholarship
, was a Wexner Fellow, a Truman Scholar at Boston University Trustee Scholar, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik
, and from both Yeshivas Brisk of Chicago in 1995 and the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
of Yeshiva University
in New York City
in 1996.Lopatin also received honorary smicha from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
.
Among Rabbi Lopatin's congregants at the 350-member congregation is Rahm Emanuel
, Mayor of Chicago, and former White House Chief of Staff
under President Barack Obama
and a former member of the United States House of Representatives
. Rabbi Lopatin would not comment on Emanuel's politics, but noted that "I wish all our congregants were as loyal to the synagogue and as engaged as he is."
Lopatin has announced plans to lead a group of 200 families to make aliyah
and settle in the Negev
. Currently he plans to move to Beer Sheva with his family in the summer of 2012.
and Rabbi Marc Angel.
He came to public attention during the 2006 political battle over the Chicago City Council ban on the sale of foie gras
. Lopatin was widely quoted supporting the ban on the grounds that the Torah
prohibits cruelty to animals, noting that "Chopped liver is good, but foie gras is bad".
In 2008, Lopatin was one of five Orthodox rabbis named to Newsweek
magazine's list of the Top 25 Pulpit Rabbis in America, selected based on criteria including the ability to inspire a congregation through scholarship and oratory, community leadership and leadership within the denominational movement.
. Lopatin was to be the community rabbi of the town. Carmit, currently being built and marketed by the OR Movement, along with JNF and other partners, will eventually grow to include 2,600 homes. However, Lopatin now plans to establish a community in Beer Sheva, perhaps in the northern neighborhood of Ramot or Ramot Beit. In his position as rabbi of a progressive Modern Orthodox synagogue, Lopatin says he will work to ensure diversity, where people of all denominations and non-denominations feel validated in their observance and encouraged to contribute to the community at large.
Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel
Anshe Sholom B'nai Israel is a Modern Orthodox congregation located in the Lakeview neighborhood on the north side of Chicago, Illinois...
, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
.
Lopatin is a graduate of the Maimonides School
Maimonides School
Maimonides School is a coeducational, Modern Orthodox, Jewish day school located in Brookline, Massachusetts. The school was founded in 1937 by Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik and his wife Tonya Soloveitchik...
, received a B.A. in International Relations and Islamic Studies from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, and was awarded a Master of Philosophy
Master of Philosophy
The Master of Philosophy is a postgraduate research degree.An M.Phil. is a lesser degree than a Doctor of Philosophy , but in many cases it is considered to be a more senior degree than a taught Master's degree, as it is often a thesis-only degree. In some instances, an M.Phil...
from the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in Medieval Arabic Thought. He has done doctoral work, also at Oxford , in Islamic Fundamentalist Attitudes Toward Jews. In that connection, he has authored a chapter in Muslim Jewish Relations, titled: "The Uncircumcised Jewish Heart (in Islamic and Qur'anic Thought)." Lopatin won a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
, was a Wexner Fellow, a Truman Scholar at Boston University Trustee Scholar, and is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He received rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik
Ahron Soloveichik
Rabbi Ahron Soloveichik; was a renowned scholar of Talmud, Halakha and a Rosh Yeshiva; known especially within circles of Orthodox Judaism.-Biography:...
, and from both Yeshivas Brisk of Chicago in 1995 and the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary , or Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University, located in Washington Heights, New York. It is named after Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, who died the year it was founded, 1896...
of Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1996.Lopatin also received honorary smicha from Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School is a "Modern Open Orthodox" yeshiva founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss.Currently located in Riverdale, New York, it seeks to "recruit, professionally train, and place rabbis" who will promote its founder's philosophy...
.
Among Rabbi Lopatin's congregants at the 350-member congregation is Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Emanuel
Rahm Israel Emanuel is an American politician and the 55th and current Mayor of Chicago. He was formerly White House Chief of Staff to President Barack Obama...
, Mayor of Chicago, and former White House Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
under President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and a former member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. Rabbi Lopatin would not comment on Emanuel's politics, but noted that "I wish all our congregants were as loyal to the synagogue and as engaged as he is."
Lopatin has announced plans to lead a group of 200 families to make aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
and settle in the Negev
Negev
The Negev is a desert and semidesert region of southern Israel. The Arabs, including the native Bedouin population of the region, refer to the desert as al-Naqab. The origin of the word Neghebh is from the Hebrew root denoting 'dry'...
. Currently he plans to move to Beer Sheva with his family in the summer of 2012.
Affiliations
Asher Lopatin is a Vice President of the (multi-denominational) Chicago Board of Rabbis and a member of the (Orthodox) Rabbinical Council of America and of the (Orthodox) Chicago Rabbinical Council. Lopatin sits on the board of the multi-denominational Chicago Jewish Day School, which he and his wife helped found. Rabbi Lopatin is also a member of the board of the (Orthodox) International Rabbinic Fellowship, founded by Rabbi Avi WeissAvi Weiss
Avraham Weiss is an American Modern Orthodox rabbi who heads the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in The Bronx, New York. He is an author, teacher, lecturer, and activist...
and Rabbi Marc Angel.
Ideological positions
Lopatin is noted for feeling that the denominational lines separating Jews are less important than the commitments shared by Orthodox, conservative, Reform and non-aligned Jews.He came to public attention during the 2006 political battle over the Chicago City Council ban on the sale of foie gras
Foie gras
Foie gras ; French for "fat liver") is a food product made of the liver of a duck or goose that has been specially fattened. This fattening is typically achieved through gavage corn, according to French law, though outside of France it is occasionally produced using natural feeding...
. Lopatin was widely quoted supporting the ban on the grounds that the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
prohibits cruelty to animals, noting that "Chopped liver is good, but foie gras is bad".
In 2008, Lopatin was one of five Orthodox rabbis named to Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
magazine's list of the Top 25 Pulpit Rabbis in America, selected based on criteria including the ability to inspire a congregation through scholarship and oratory, community leadership and leadership within the denominational movement.
Plans for Aliya
In 2009, Rabbi Asher Lopatin publicly announced his family's plans for aliya in the summer of 2011 in order to build a new innovative and pluralistic community in the northern Negev, CarmitCarmit
Carmit is a new community in the northern Negev of Israel within the jurisdiction of Meitar located near Cramim Forest.The community is accepting Israelis and new immigrant families to create a unique and diverse community in the Negev. In 2005 the District Planning and Building Commission of the...
. Lopatin was to be the community rabbi of the town. Carmit, currently being built and marketed by the OR Movement, along with JNF and other partners, will eventually grow to include 2,600 homes. However, Lopatin now plans to establish a community in Beer Sheva, perhaps in the northern neighborhood of Ramot or Ramot Beit. In his position as rabbi of a progressive Modern Orthodox synagogue, Lopatin says he will work to ensure diversity, where people of all denominations and non-denominations feel validated in their observance and encouraged to contribute to the community at large.
Press
- Interview with Rabbi Asher Lopatin, by Nicole Neroulias, November 26, 2008, Religion News Service.
- http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260181035794&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FPrinter, by Raphael Ahren, August 2009, Ha'aretz
- http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1260181035794&pagename=JPArticle/ShowFull, by Jacob Kanter, December 2009, Jerusalem Post