Conversations with My Rabbi

An unforgettable true story, and seven timeless teachings for living well in an uncertain world.

In September 2022, Nikki Goldstein was fighting for her life in the ICU at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital when a chance encounter changed everything. Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who happened to be passing by her room, paused and entered. He blew the shofar by her bedside and whispered ancient prayers over her unconscious body. One day later, Nikki’s lungs began to respond. Against all odds, the infection started to retreat. When doctors were able to bring her out of her coma, they called it a miracle.

In the days and weeks that followed, Nikki—a secular Jewish woman—and Eli formed an unlikely and beautiful friendship, introducing each other to their families and becoming part of each other’s lives.

Though shaped by profoundly different worlds—one grounded in religious tradition, the other in a more modern, secular life—they discovered they were seeking answers to the same essential questions. Together, they turned to ancient Jewish teachings to illuminate a path toward living more ethically, compassionately, and spiritually in an increasingly unstable world.

In January 2025, they decided to turn those conversations into a book.

Then, just weeks before they were set to write the final chapter, Eli was murdered on Sydney’s Bondi Beach in the deadliest mass-casualty shooting in Australian history. He died while lighting the menorah at his Chanukah by the Sea celebration.

In the midst of her shock and grief, Nikki knew she could not let terror have the final word. Eli’s legacy and his mission to bring light, love, and moral clarity into the world would not die with him. His teachings were needed now more than ever.

The book’s dialogue-driven format reflects Jewish intellectual tradition—inviting readers to think, question, and process alongside the text rather than be instructed by it.

Through their candid question-and-answer exchange, Nikki and Eli explore seven timeless ethical teachings known as the Noahide Laws: universal principles rooted in Jewish wisdom that speak to anyone seeking meaning, moral clarity, and hope in uncertain times. Their conversations are real, raw, tender, sometimes funny, sometimes fierce, and always deeply human.

Born at a hospital bedside and completed after an act of terror, this book is a counter to the madness in the world. Completed posthumously, LIGHT is Rabbi Eli’s final gift to the world, and a guide for anyone of any faith asking how to live with integrity, compassion, and courage in a fractured world.