The New Syria: New Enemy or New Friend

Syria is one of the most consequential and least understood countries in the Middle East, and few Western Jews have had the opportunity to witness its dramatic transformation from the inside. Join Rabbi Asher Lopatin for a fascinating firsthand account of his groundbreaking visits to Syria in 2025, beginning just months after the fall of the Assad regime and continuing through two subsequent missions. Rabbi Lopatin will share the remarkable story of how these journeys came about, what he encountered on the ground, and whether a new chapter in Syria’s relationship with the West, and perhaps even with Israel, may be possible. Drawing on candid conversations with government officials, business leaders, educators, cultural figures, and ordinary Syrians from all walks of life, he will offer a rare glimpse into a country long viewed as one of Israel’s most implacable adversaries. Combining personal stories, political insight, and on-the-ground observations, this promises to be an extraordinary look inside a nation at a historic crossroads. Presented by the Orange County Community Scholars Program and sponsored by TBS Adult Learning.

Rabbi Asher Lopatin is the rabbi of Kehillat Etz Chayim in Detroit and the Director of Community Relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. He is a Rhodes Scholar with an M.Phil in Medieval Arabic Thought from Oxford University. He has rabbinic ordination from Rav Ahron Soloveichik and Yeshiva University and is a permanent member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Rabbi Lopatin is married to Rachel Tessler Lopatin and they have four children.