Rabbi Niles Elliot Goldstein

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 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 both karate and tae kwon do. Rabbi Goldstein enjoys the arts, particularly theater and film, and he is always up for trying out a new or interesting restaurant. 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:

• "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...,"  Napa Valley Register  October 2018
•  "Your Turn: Dark days in America,"  Napa Valley Register  October 2018
• "Conversations in Faith,"  Napa Valley Register  March 2018
• "Advocate of 'gonzo Judaism',"  Napa Valley Register February 2018
• Read Rabbi Goldstein's talk:  Regarding his December 2017 Installation Dinner
   

Interviews with Rabbi Goldstein:

• 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 2018 (pdf)
• Kol Nidre 2018 (pdf)
• Erev Rosh Hashanah 2017 (pdf)
• Kol Nidre 2017 (pdf)