{"id":132137,"date":"2026-01-13T21:12:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T21:12:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/132137\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T21:12:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T21:12:07","slug":"emotional-shloshim-for-rabbi-eli-schlanger-held-in-bakersfield-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/132137\/","title":{"rendered":"Emotional Shloshim for Rabbi Eli Schlanger Held in Bakersfield, CA"},"content":{"rendered":"

More than 200 people gathered this week at Chabad of Bakersfield for a moving memorial event marking the shloshim, 30 days since the passing of Rabbi Eli Schlanger HYD, who was murdered in a horrific antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, Australia on Chanukah. Full Story, Photos, Video<\/a> <\/p>\n

By COLlive reporter<\/p>\n

More than 200 people gathered this week at Chabad of Bakersfield for a moving memorial event marking the shloshim, 30 days since the passing of Rabbi Eli Schlanger HYD, who was murdered in a horrific antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, Australia on Chanukah.<\/p>\n

The evening was hosted by his brother, Rabbi Shmuli Schlanger, leader of Chabad of Bakersfield, together with his wife, Esther Malka Schlanger. Family members, friends and fellow Shluchim traveled from the Bakersfield area, Los Angeles, and beyond to remember the devoted Shliach Eli Schlanger.<\/p>\n

Among the speakers were Esther Malka Schlanger, Rabbi Shmuli Schlanger, and Karen Goh, Mayor of Bakersfield, who has been a consistent supporter of the local Jewish community. The evening also featured soulful musical selections performed by chazan Yudi Cohen, and concluded with a heartfelt kumzitz of emotional niggunim and classic songs.<\/p>\n

Opening the program, Esther Malka Schlanger thanked those in attendance for their presence and support. \u201cThank you all for being here tonight. Thank you for coming to support our family, for surrounding us with your love, your presence, and your strength,\u201d she said. \u201cIn moments like these, when words feel insufficient, simply showing up means more than you may ever know. We feel it, and we are deeply grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

She emphasized that the evening was not about confronting evil, but about drawing strength from faith and from the lives of those lost. \u201cTonight, we choose a different focus. Tonight, we turn to our faith. We turn to the lives of those who were taken from us. We look to their values, their courage, and their example to learn how to keep moving forward, even when our hearts are heavy, even when the pain is still so fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking about her brother-in-law, she described Rabbi Eli Schlanger as \u201can incredible, loving, often silly, and deeply involved father,\u201d to his five children, a devoted husband, a constant presence for his siblings, and a joyful uncle to his nieces and nephews. She reflected on the overwhelming response since his passing, saying that the reach of his impact, his warmth, and his compassion has been \u201ctruly mind-boggling.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also spoke at length about his family legacy, describing his grandparents as people of deep faith, integrity, resilience, and truth, including Holocaust survivors who rebuilt their lives with courage and dignity. \u201cThat kind of lineage matters,\u201d she said. \u201cEli carried all of it within him-the resilience, the sense of responsibility, the unwavering belief in goodness even when the world gives you reasons not to believe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Story after story, she noted, has poured in about his quiet acts of care, guidance, humor, and love for his community. \u201cEli didn\u2019t just serve a community, he loved it,\u201d she said, adding that he lived the Jewish truth that light pushes away darkness simply by existing.<\/p>\n

\u201cTonight is not about fear. It is not about hatred,\u201d Esther Malka concluded. \u201cTonight is about choosing life. Choosing meaning. Choosing to carry forward the values Eli embodied.\u201d<\/p>\n

Following her remarks, Mayor Goh addressed the gathering, expressing solidarity with the Jewish community and reaffirming her continued support. Rabbi Shmuli Schlanger then spoke, sharing words of chizuk and commitment to carrying his brother\u2019s legacy forward.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Shmuli Schlanger, leader of Chabad of Bakersfield, delivered an emotional and deeply reflective address, sharing the profound bond he shared with his brother. He opened by recalling their last conversation. \u201cFive weeks ago, I was on the phone with my brother. Schmoozing \u2013 the way brothers do. Talking about everything: our personal lives, our struggles, and our holy work,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd now, five weeks later, I stand here in total shock. The modern-day Nazis who want to be rid of all Jews in the name of \u2018Israel\u2019 took my very own little brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Schlanger reflected on the depth of their relationship. \u201cChassidus teaches us that when something is beyond words, it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s empty, it means it\u2019s too full,\u201d he said. While acknowledging that they did not share a conventional brotherly bond of outings or shared hobbies, he explained, \u201cChassidus explains that there are two kinds of connections: connections of experience \u2014 and connections of essence. And what Eli and I shared was a connection of essence.\u201d He described their relationship as one rooted in eighteen years of constant conversation, built around purpose, responsibility, and the Rebbe\u2019s charge that a Jew lives not for himself, but as a shliach.<\/p>\n

Rabbi Schlanger concluded with words that blended pain, faith, and resolve, emphasizing that the bond has not ended. \u201cChassidus teaches that death is not disappearance \u2014 it is elevation,\u201d he said. \u201cEli hasn\u2019t gone far. I feel him. I speak to him. I dream about him.\u201d He expressed his conviction that a soul devoted to purpose continues its mission beyond this world, and ended with a tefillah and promise: \u201cWe are still on this path together. And we won\u2019t stop until the work is completed \u2014 until the world looks the way the Rebbe taught us it must look.\u201d<\/p>\n

A keynote address of chizuk and inspiration was delivered by Rabbi Avraham Zajac, leader of Chabad of La Cienega. The evening concluded with the recitation of Mishnayos and Tehillim, followed by heartfelt singing led by Chazan Yudi Cohen that brought the community together in unity and hope.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n


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