Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein, D.D.
Rabbi Niles Goldstein is the spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Shalom of Napa Valley. Rabbi Goldstein, an experienced and dynamic Reform rabbi and educator, is also the award-winning author or editor of ten books, including Gonzo Judaism, God at the Edge and The Challenge of the Soul. He was the founding rabbi of The New Shul, an innovative and independent synagogue in Manhattan's Greenwich Village, which he served for over a decade. Rabbi Goldstein is also a founder of The Napa Center for Thought & Culture. Prior to his arrival at CBS, Rabbi Goldstein worked in a variety of congregational, interfaith and academic settings while based in his native Chicago.
Rabbi Goldstein has been a thought leader and sought-after speaker in the North American Jewish community for many years, and he teaches widely on spirituality, personal growth, the environment, leadership and congregational innovation. He has written for Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Huffington Post, the Forward and many other publications, and he has been featured in Time, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor and other venues, as well as on radio and television.
Rabbi Goldstein is the National Jewish Chaplain for the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, a position he has held since his ordination, as well as Chaplain for the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Napa Police Department. He is also a member of PEN, the Renaissance Institute, the Central Conference of American Rabbis and the Northern California Board of Rabbis. Rabbi Goldstein has served on the faculty of New York University, Loyola University, Eastern Mennonite University and Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion.
Rabbi Goldstein received his undergraduate degree with honors in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania, as well as a master's degree and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He received a Doctor of Divinity degree from HUC-JIR for his 25 years of outstanding service in the rabbinate.
Rabbi Goldstein is an avid traveler and outdoor adventurer. He has mushed dogs in Alaska and ridden horses in Mongolia, and he has done humanitarian work with communities in Central Asia and the Caucasus. He is also a longtime practitioner of the martial arts, and he holds black belts in three different self-defense systems. Rabbi Goldstein enjoys the arts, particularly theater and film, and he enjoys trying out new or interesting restaurants. He is excited to be living in Napa Valley and welcomes the opportunity to explore northern California as well as the rest of its beautiful environs.
Rabbi Goldstein's Articles:
- "Modern Judaism makes a mistake by overemphasizing the High Holidays" J Weekly October 10, 2024
- "Did Moses give the Israelites a mission — or a mission impossible?" J Weekly August 22, 2024
- "This week’s Torah portion warns us about demagogues and populism" J Weekly July 3, 2024
- "This Torah portion teaches that we can’t go it alone — and we don’t need to" J Weekly May 16, 2024
- "If God had created a perfect world, humans would be nothing more than robots" J Weekly March 28, 2024
- "Even for newly liberated Israelites, freedom doesn’t exist in a vacuum" J Weekly February 8, 2024
- "We can survive struggles with our inner demons, just like Jacob" J Weekly November 30, 2023
- "How Adam and Eve changed the very nature of our existence" J Weekly October 12, 2023
- "Can vengeance ever be justifiable? This week’s Torah portion raises tricky questions." J Weekly August 24, 2023
- "Moses required solitude, even though the people resented it" J Weekly May 19, 2023
- "In Moses' self-doubt, a great lesson in humility" J Weekly March 31, 2023
- "Here’s to the non-Jews in the Torah! (There are more than you might think)" J Weekly February 10, 2023
- "This week’s dark Torah portion prepares us for ascent into the light" J Weekly December 23, 2022
- "The dark reality of antisemitism" Napa Register November 16, 2022
- "Like Abraham, you can go on an epic journey." J Weekly November 4, 2022
- "Providing sanctuary for refugees is a Biblical imperative" J Weekly July 29, 2022
- "The spirtually solitary have a place in the Jewish world" J Weekly June 10, 2022
- "The popularity of Passover defies the odds." J Weekly April 22, 2022
- "All systems go! How the Jews began their takeoff in Exodus." J Weekly March 3, 2022
- "Can we ever truly ‘settle’ down? For Jacob, the challenges never end." J Weekly November 26, 2021
- "Lessons from Tower of Babel: Focus less on yourself, more on the community" J Weekly October 8, 2021
- Our capacity to forgive must be stronger than cancel culture" J Weekly August 20, 2021
- "How 5 Jewish daughters reformed a rule and changed society" J Weekly July 2, 2021
- "Cultural conformity on the road to Canaan" J Weekly May 13, 2021
- "We are imperfect - but commanded to do better," J Weekly March 26, 2021
- "A lesson about building bridges — something Jethro taught us," J Weekly February 5, 2021
- "Today's Lesson: A Better Tomorrow," J Weekly December 18, 2020
- "I kayacked the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Don't let Trump ruin it," Forward December 9, 2020
- "Like Abraham, we must leave things behind to move forward," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California October 30, 2020
- "A Kol Nidre for 2020," Forward September 26, 2020
- "A blessing or a curse? The choice is yours to make," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California September 11, 2020
- "We can’t always be in control of our destiny," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California July 24, 2020
- "What the Bible Can Teach Us About Quarantine," Forward June 5, 2020
- "Self-flagellation will only get you so far on the path to spiritual growth," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California June 5, 2020
- "His sons consumed by fire, Aaron teaches us a silent lesson," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California April 17, 2020
- "Our God is unfathomable. So where does that leave us?," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California February 28, 2020
- "Moses was full of doubt, God trusted him anyway," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California January 24, 2020
- "Caged? No escape? In Judaism, there is always hope.," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California December 19, 2019
- "Adam and Eve - and why we control our own morality and destiny," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California October 24, 2019
- "May the Days of Awe help us embrace what's important" Jewish News Weekly of Northern California October 2, 2019
- "Judaism is tough, but I wouldn't have it any other way," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California August 29, 2019
- "When defying authority is morally and spiritually obligatory," Jewish News Weekly of Northern California July 5, 2019
- "White nationalism and the resurgence of anti-Semitism," Napa Valley Register June 17, 2019
- "Napans Speak Out at Vigil," Napa Valley Register October 30, 2018
- "Your Turn: Dark days in America," Napa Valley Register October 28, 2018
- "Conversations in Faith," Napa Valley Register March 18, 2018
- "Advocate of 'gonzo Judaism'," Napa Valley Register February 2, 2018
- Read Rabbi Goldstein's talk: Regarding his December 2017 Installation Dinne
Interviews with Rabbi Goldstein:
- 99.3 FM The Vine | Reaction to Terror Attacks in Israel - October 2023
- KQED PERSPECTIVES | Niles Goldstein: Antisemitism On The Rise November 17th 2022
- Web Interview with "Faces of the Valley" - November 2019
- Radio Interview with KVON's Barry Martin on 4/17/19
- Radio Interviews with KVON's Barry Martin (see 1/14/19 interview and 7/23/18 interview)
- Napa Broadcasting Interview - Nov 2018
- Literary License Podcast "Near Dark: 30 Days of Night" -June 2018
- Napa Broadcasting Radio Interview - Feb 2018
- Napa Broadcasting Radio Interview - Jan 2018
- "Rabbi in the Whirlwind" Things Not Seen Radio interview
Rabbi Goldstein's Sermons:
- Erev Rosh Hashanah 2024
- Kol Nidre 2024
- Erev Rosh Hashanah 2023
- Kol Nidre 2023
- Erev Rosh Hashanah 2022
- Kol Nidre 2022
- Erev Rosh Hashanah 2021
- Kol Nidre 2021
- Erev Rosh Hashanah 2020
- Kol Nidre 2020
- Erev Rosh Hashanah 2019
- Kol Nidre 2019
- Erev Rosh Hashanah 2018
- Kol Nidre 2018
- Erev Rosh Hashanah 2017
- Kol Nidre 2017