‘Conversations with My Rabbi’ launched at Chabad of Bondi

“To every conversation he brought his irrepressible joy, his goodness, his utter commitment to his family, and his faith in God. But most of all, what inspired me was his humanity. He wanted to do good, not just for Jews, but for the whole world.”

Writer Nikki Goldstein spoke those words on Tuesday morning at the launch of Conversations with My Rabbi: Timeless Teachings for a Fractured World, a book she co-authored with Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who was killed in the Bondi Beach terrorist attack on December 14, 2025.

Rabbi Schlanger was killed alongside 14 others at the Chanukah by the Sea celebration that he organised at Bondi Beach, an event he had led for 18 years. At the time of his death, he was in the final stages of completing the book.

The book was launched at Chabad of Bondi by ECAJ co-chief executive Alex Ryvchin, with NSW Premier Chris Minns and Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane in attendance.

Structured as an unscripted dialogue between Goldstein, a secular writer, and Rabbi Schlanger, the book grapples with enduring questions: Why are we here? What do we believe? How do we live in a world that feels increasingly broken? And is there a universal moral code that can guide us through it?