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Conversations with My Rabbi: Timeless Teachings for a Fractured World

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A radically hopeful exploration of faith, identity, morality, and purpose grounded in timeless Jewish principles, captured in a series of profound conversations between Nikki Goldstein and the man who saved her life and became her spiritual mentor, Rabbi Eli Schlanger—whose teachings and wisdom endure beyond his tragic killing in the December 2025 Bondi Beach Chanukah terrorist attack in Sydney, Australia.

Conversations with My Rabbi is an unforgettable true story and a profound book of wisdom, offering timeless teachings for living well in an uncertain world.

In September 2022, Nikki Goldstein was comatose, near death in a Sydney ICU when her daughter spotted Rabbi Eli Schlanger in the hallway. Nikki’s husband asked the rabbi to come pray for her. Standing beside her bed, he blew the shofar and whispered ancient prayers over Nikki.

One day later, Nikki began recovering from the life-threatening infection. The doctors called it a miracle. As she regained her health, this secular Jewish woman and the devout rabbi formed an unlikely and beautiful friendship. Coming from profoundly different worlds—one grounded in religious tradition, the other in temporal modernity—they discovered they were seeking answers to the same essential questions.

Together, they turned to ancient Jewish teachings for guidance on living more ethically, compassionately, and spiritually. In January 2025, they began to record their conversations as a book. But just weeks before they were to write the final chapter, Eli was murdered on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in Australia’s second deadliest mass-casualty shooting. He died before lighting the menorah at his annual Chanukah by the Sea celebration, an event he’d run for eighteen years. Devastated by shock and grief, Nikki refused to be silenced by terror. She vowed that Eli’s legacy and his mission to bring light, love, and moral clarity to the world would not die, because his teachings were more necessary than ever.

Reflecting the dialogue-driven Jewish intellectual tradition, the question and answer format of Conversations with My Rabbi invites readers to ponder, to question, and to define their own beliefs as they follow Nikki and Eli’s real, raw, tender, sometimes funny, sometimes fierce, yet always deeply human conversations centered around the timeless ethical teachings known as the Noahide Laws, tied to the biblical universal principles rooted in Jewish wisdom that speak to all who seek meaning, moral clarity, and hope in their lives. Questions


Tell Me Why I Should Believe in God?Why Are We So Afraid to Talk About God?What If People Are Just . . . Terrible?Do Animals Have Souls?Is Stealing Really That Bad?What’s So Scary About Sex?What Does Justice Look Like?
Conversations with My Rabbi is a repudiation of the madness we are experiencing today. It is Rabbi Eli’s eternal gift—a guide for all, regardless of faith, who struggle to live with integrity, compassion, and courage in a divided and uncertain world.

288 pages, Hardcover

Published May 26, 2026

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About the author

Rabbi Eli Schlanger

4 books3 followers

AI Summary

rabbi eli schlanger biography
Rabbi Eli Schlanger was a prominent Chabad rabbi who served the Jewish community in Sydney, Australia, for 18 years. Born in London, he dedicated his life to helping others connect with their Jewish heritage and was known for his outreach efforts, particularly in tefillin. Tragically, he was killed during a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in December 2025, leaving behind a wife and five children.
People

Rabbi Eli Schlanger's Life and Legacy
Rabbi Schlanger's contributions to his community were significant and impactful.

Early Life — Born in London, Rabbi Schlanger later moved to Sydney, where he became a beloved community leader.
Community Service — He served as an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi, focusing on outreach and education.
Family — Schlanger was a father of five, with his youngest child born just two months before his death.
Tragic Death — He was one of the victims of a mass shooting during a Hanukkah event on December 14, 2025.
Legacy — His work and dedication to the Jewish community continue to inspire many.
elischlanger.com

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Kerry Pickens.
1,363 reviews46 followers
July 14, 2026
Rabbi Eli Schlanger was celebrating Hanukkah on Bondi Beach with a crowd of 2,000 people when terrorists attacked killing 15 people including Rabbi Schlanger. The rabbi was 41 years old and the father of five children. A friend’s young son was also injured and went through 16 surgeries before he recovered.

Unfortunately due to antisemitism, it has become dangerous to be in public places. May his memory be a blessing.
Profile Image for Kevin Jochelson.
89 reviews1 follower
July 13, 2026
4/5 | A brave, heartbreaking and beautiful posthumous dedication.

Conversations with My Rabbi: Timeless Teachings for a Fractured World would already have been a book born from remarkable circumstances. Nikki Goldstein meets Rabbi Eli Schlanger on her deathbed and, against all odds, survives.

And yet, against all odds, in the horrifying terror attack at Bondi Beach, Rabbi Schlanger does not.

This book was written for a fractured world, before it completely shattered.

I knew Rabbi Eli Schlanger, so I am fortunate enough to read his words in his voice, complete with the energetic, kind charisma he brought to every conversation.

This book explores the Noahide Laws - laws I have also been fortunate enough to study - and Goldstein brings an interesting and broad curiosity to unpacking them, with Rabbi Eli serving as our guide and teacher. Rabbi Eli’s personal mission was to make these laws more widely known, and he worked with Goldstein, a non-observant yet deeply curious Jew, to document and explain them for the masses.

The tragedy is that the fractured world he hoped to bring a moral framework to, murdered him.

But despite the sadness, mourning and profound loss, Goldstein honours his memory by continuing the mission and completing the book. They were working on the final chapter when Rabbi Eli was savagely shot in cold blood on the sands of Bondi Beach in December 2025.

The Noahide Laws are, like much of Torah legislation, deceptively simple. That is, until you begin digging deeper and discover a complexity that is both broad and astounding. Goldstein does an excellent job bouncing off Rabbi Eli in their documented conversations as they explain what these laws really mean, what they cover, and how we can incorporate them into our lives.

My main reservation with the book is that Goldstein perhaps could have done more to distinguish between teachings that are specifically Jewish obligations and those relevant to non-Jews. For instance, prayers such as the Shema are not obligations for non-Jews. While it is nice to see them presented in English, transliteration and Hebrew, a simple symbol or notation indicating what Jews could learn from and what non-Jews could safely skip may have helped guide readers. It would also have reduced the risk of the book appearing didactic or proselytising, particularly given that Judaism is fundamentally non-proselytising. I worry some readers may misunderstand this and disengage from an otherwise valuable work.

For those who find themselves feeling that way, I encourage you to continue.

There were also moments that unfortunately read somewhat like generative AI copy. A considerable number of passages followed a similar negative-to-positive explanatory structure: “Life is not just sacred - it is Divine… Murder, therefore, is not only an act of violence against a human being. It is an act of violence against God Himself.”

Once I noticed the pattern, I found it somewhat repetitive.

That said, Rabbi Eli was not alive to refine or edit his own words, and the reality is that this book’s urgent release became even more important after his passing. Given those circumstances, it is understandable.

I raise these criticisms because the true strength of Goldstein’s writing shines in her most vulnerable moments. The short reflections she includes between chapters are where she pours out her heart, shares her honest thoughts about the conversations, and ultimately allows readers to witness her grief.

Her final chapters with the phenomenal Rabbi Ulman, Rabbi Eli’s father-in-law, together with the Epilogue and Afterword, ultimately brought the book home for me. Goldstein writes with raw emotion, and Rabbi Ulman’s inclusion serves as a powerful bookend, giving Rabbi Eli’s mission and life the justice, compassion and sense of purpose they deserve.

These final chapters were by far the most powerful and intimate parts of the book.

This book was not what I expected.

But it was also more.

It was an honour to have met Rabbi Eli. It is a privilege to witness what Goldstein has done to continue and spread his mission. This book certainly caused me to reflect on elements of my own behaviour and how I can bring more peace and kindness to my interactions with others.

In Rabbi Eli’s honour, I hope it does the same for many others.
Profile Image for Rachel.
242 reviews
September 22, 2026
This was the perfect book for Yom Kippur. May Rabbi Schlanger's memory always be a blessing.
Profile Image for Jonathan Singer.
63 reviews
September 4, 2026
An inspiring, if sadly incomplete, explanation of the so-called Noahide laws, the seven laws given to Noah after the flood. The book is written as a conversation between a secular Jew who survived a near-death encounter in part due to the intervention of an observant Chabad rabbi. Horribly, that rabbi was murdered in the Bondi Beach massacre on Chanukah, 2025.

The book is easy to read and informative. It suffers from being a bit too saccharine at times, and doesn’t necessarily confront some of the conundrums an observant life and rules leads to. That said, the main author, Rabbi Schlanger, did not survive to see it through to its conclusion, and such minor flaws are thus easily forgivable.

All in all a worthy, but heartbreaking, effort to explain the principles of Noah to the modern world, which certainly could use some their timeless and simple wisdom.
Profile Image for Taylor.
231 reviews8 followers
September 18, 2026
I picked this up because it looked interesting from both Jewish and Gentile, practicing and "secular" perspectives. But I had no idea that the rabbi who co-wrote this book, Rabbi Eli, was murdered as this book went to print (December 2025) in Australia's worst terrorist attack. That made what he said that much more powerful.

The Noahide Laws featured in this book were practical guides for living that every human being on earth should try to live by. Not quite the Ten Commandments; they're similar. I agreed with pretty much everything he said and found him wise, compassionate, and approachable. And what a great way to put what I have always thought: animals do have souls, just not human souls. But they have souls!
Profile Image for BookwormBraggings.
122 reviews
May 26, 2026
**A luminous, deeply moving testament to the enduring power of wisdom, compassion, and the human connection that can change the course of a life.**

Some books offer answers. Others teach us how to ask better questions. And then there are books like *Conversations with My Rabbi*, which remind us that the search for meaning is itself a profoundly human undertaking, one that becomes especially urgent when the world around us seems increasingly fractured.

In this remarkable work, Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Nikki Goldstein explore timeless questions of faith, morality, identity, and purpose through the intimate, unfolding exchange between two people whose lives and worldviews initially seem very different. Their unlikely friendship, born from a moment of extraordinary vulnerability, becomes the foundation for a wider philosophical exploration of how we might live more consciously, treat one another more generously, and discover moral clarity amid uncertainty.

What makes this book so compelling is its conversational approach to questions that have occupied philosophers, theologians, and ordinary people for centuries. What makes a good life? Why does evil exist? What do we owe one another? Is morality possible without religious belief? How do we remain compassionate in a world that so often seems to reward indifference?

Rather than treating these questions as abstract intellectual exercises, Schlanger and Goldstein ground their discussions in the complexities of lived experience. Their conversations draw upon the Seven Noahide Laws, ancient ethical principles rooted in Jewish tradition that address humanity's shared responsibilities. Through these teachings, the book offers a framework for thinking about justice, respect for life, personal responsibility, and the possibility of building a more humane society.

I particularly appreciate the premise that ancient wisdom need not be confined to the past to remain relevant. Religious traditions are often approached either as unquestionable authorities or as relics of another age. This book offers a more inviting possibility: that centuries of moral reflection can become the starting point for genuine dialogue, even among people who approach faith from different directions. The exchange between a devout rabbi and a questioning, less observant Jewish woman gives the ideas room to breathe, inviting readers to reflect rather than simply accept.

There is something especially beautiful about the dialogue form itself. Wisdom here emerges through encounter: through questions asked honestly, assumptions challenged, and the willingness to remain present when another person's perspective unsettles our own. In an age of performative certainty and increasingly polarized public discourse, this kind of exchange feels almost radical. It suggests that understanding begins not with winning an argument but with the humility to listen.

Yet the book's emotional significance extends far beyond its philosophical content. Rabbi Schlanger was tragically murdered in the December 2025 terrorist attack at Sydney's Bondi Beach, before the project could be completed. Knowing this casts a profound shadow over the conversations, transforming them into an unintended legacy of a life devoted to teaching, spiritual guidance, and bringing light into the lives of others.

There is an almost unbearable poignancy in reading a work about goodness, justice, faith, and the obligations we owe one another when its central teacher was himself taken by violence. The questions discussed within these pages—particularly the question of how to respond to evil without abandoning our moral commitments—acquire an added gravity. The circumstances of Schlanger's death do not diminish the importance of his teachings; rather, they make the effort to preserve and share them all the more meaningful.

Goldstein's role in completing the work is equally moving. Their friendship began in a moment when her own life hung in the balance, and the conversations that followed became a shared search for understanding. That this intellectual and spiritual journey continued after Schlanger's death speaks to the extraordinary capacity of the written word to preserve a voice, transmit an idea, and extend a relationship beyond the limits of a lifetime.

What I find most valuable about this book is its insistence that morality is not merely something we discuss but something we practice. The principles of justice, respect, compassion, and responsibility become meaningful through the daily choices we make, in our families, our communities, and our encounters with strangers. A fractured world cannot be repaired through lofty ideals alone; it requires individuals willing to embody those ideals in ordinary life.

Five stars for a thoughtful, humane, and deeply affecting work that bridges philosophical inquiry and personal reflection. *Conversations with My Rabbi* reminds us that wisdom is not simply the accumulation of knowledge, but the willingness to let what we learn change how we live.

Ultimately, this is a book about the possibility of choosing goodness even when goodness seems difficult, of maintaining faith in the value of human life even when confronted with cruelty, and of recognizing that our responsibilities to one another transcend the boundaries that divide us.

A beautiful and bittersweet literary legacy. Rabbi Eli Schlanger's voice endures in these pages, carried forward by Nikki Goldstein and offered to readers as an invitation to live with greater integrity, curiosity, and compassion. In a world desperately in need of all three, that is a gift worth cherishing.
Profile Image for Liza Wiemer.
Author 5 books749 followers
October 1, 2026
This is a must-listen for anyone who cares about humanity and has a desire to strive to be their best self. I finished listening, and for the first time, I restarted the audiobook and began to listen all over again. I listened to several chapters multiple times just to make sure that I was absorbing the message. I cannot recommend this book enough!!! It's truly profound, thought-provoking, and important for everyone regardless of their religious background or knowledge. I loved the audiobook because it was great to listen to the conversation between the rabbi and Nikki.

DO NOT MISS! I hope it's as profound for others as it has been for me.
Profile Image for Cindy H..
2,059 reviews73 followers
September 29, 2026
A beautiful and heartbreaking listen. On the surface the Seven Laws of Noah seem very basic and obvious, but the discussion between Rabbi Eli Schlanger and Nikki Goldstein were quite deep and profound. The laws and its practices are a universal codex and a guide for how one should live their life. Eli Schlanger was murdered in a terrorist attack on Bondi Beach whilst celebrating the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. This book is a lasting testament of Eli’s commitment to humanity and spreading light and holiness unto the world.
Profile Image for Sherrie.
11 reviews
September 20, 2026
“Trying to sketch in human words, what a just society looks like when the world has shown us it’s worse.” It does a beautiful, deeply convicting, and honoring job. May those who read it take it to heart.
Profile Image for Diana.
30 reviews1 follower
August 12, 2026
For those who need healing and for those who don’t understand why healing is needed.
167 reviews
October 18, 2026
randomly picked this up from library shelf -- EVERYONE would benefit from reading this book.
4 reviews
June 25, 2026
Filled With Wisdom and Love

Story of a path forward for humanity. How we can move from our divisive, lonely, and hopeless world for all to many to a world of tolerance, kindness, and mutual respect. And maybe, towards love, hope, and gratitude.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews