By COLlive reporter
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.
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.
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.
Opening the program, Esther Malka Schlanger thanked those in attendance for their presence and support. “Thank 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,” she said. “In 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.”
She emphasized that the evening was not about confronting evil, but about drawing strength from faith and from the lives of those lost. “Tonight, 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.”
Speaking about her brother-in-law, she described Rabbi Eli Schlanger as “an incredible, loving, often silly, and deeply involved father,” 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 “truly mind-boggling.”
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. “That kind of lineage matters,” she said. “Eli 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.”
Story after story, she noted, has poured in about his quiet acts of care, guidance, humor, and love for his community. “Eli didn’t just serve a community, he loved it,” she said, adding that he lived the Jewish truth that light pushes away darkness simply by existing.
“Tonight is not about fear. It is not about hatred,” Esther Malka concluded. “Tonight is about choosing life. Choosing meaning. Choosing to carry forward the values Eli embodied.”
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’s legacy forward.
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. “Five weeks ago, I was on the phone with my brother. Schmoozing – the way brothers do. Talking about everything: our personal lives, our struggles, and our holy work,” he said. “And 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 ‘Israel’ took my very own little brother.”
Rabbi Schlanger reflected on the depth of their relationship. “Chassidus teaches us that when something is beyond words, it doesn’t mean it’s empty, it means it’s too full,” he said. While acknowledging that they did not share a conventional brotherly bond of outings or shared hobbies, he explained, “Chassidus explains that there are two kinds of connections: connections of experience — and connections of essence. And what Eli and I shared was a connection of essence.” He described their relationship as one rooted in eighteen years of constant conversation, built around purpose, responsibility, and the Rebbe’s charge that a Jew lives not for himself, but as a shliach.
Rabbi Schlanger concluded with words that blended pain, faith, and resolve, emphasizing that the bond has not ended. “Chassidus teaches that death is not disappearance — it is elevation,” he said. “Eli hasn’t gone far. I feel him. I speak to him. I dream about him.” He expressed his conviction that a soul devoted to purpose continues its mission beyond this world, and ended with a tefillah and promise: “We are still on this path together. And we won’t stop until the work is completed — until the world looks the way the Rebbe taught us it must look.”
A keynote address of chizuk and inspiration was delivered by Rabbi Avraham Zajac, Rabbi of Chabad of SOLA. 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.
