Reuven H. Taff, at The Blogs

Sep 1, 2026, 6:10 AM

Dana Nessel, Who Gave You the Right to Volunteer My Survival?

A Sacramento rabbi has a message for Michigan’s Jewish attorney general: Jews have heard the “greater good” argument before. History has taught us what can happen when we are told that our safety—and even our survival—must come second. Dear Attorney...

Aug 18, 2026, 12:26 AM

My One-Minute Prayer at Birkenau

Every visitor to Poland arrives with a different story. Some come as students. Some come as historians. Some come because their grandparents survived. Others come because their grandparents never left. Each deserves to remember in their own way. Before we arrived, I...

Aug 9, 2026, 5:55 PM

To Beth Jacob Synagogue: How Could You?

Tonight, your synagogue is co-sponsoring a fundraiser for the legal defense of Mohsen Mahdawi. I read that sentence. Then I read it again. And I still cannot understand it. A synagogue is putting its name behind this fundraiser. How could you? Before you walk...

Jun 22, 2026, 12:14 PM

My School District Opened Its Doors to CAIR—and Parents Were Kept in the Dark

I did not learn about my school district's relationship with CAIR from the district itself. I learned about it from an investigative report. If this could happen in one California school district with little or no public disclosure, parents have...

Jun 9, 2026, 11:15 PM

The Israel I Heard on a Mountaintop

John Boyd Thacher Park in New York's Helderberg Mountains. (Photo Credit: "Discover Albany"--https://www.albany.org/listing/john-boyd-thacher-state-park/1967/)

In June 1967, a high school friend and I spent six consecutive nights driving from our homes in Albany, New York, to the top of John Boyd Thacher Park in the Helderberg Mountains. We arrived just before midnight carrying...

May 24, 2026, 11:06 AM

How California’s Voter Guide published a candidate’s antisemitic conspiracy theories

One of the 61 gubernatorial candidates ranted about Israel and Jewish people instead of describing himself. Did the state have to publish it? This commentary was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Recently I received in the mail California’s Official...

May 15, 2026, 1:13 AM

Nick Kristof’s Never-Ending Obsession with Israel

Kristof’s NYT column reads as the work of an illusionist who blurs the line between allegation and established fact. “Obsession” is commonly defined as “an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.” It is difficult to...

Mar 6, 2026, 5:00 AM

Gavin Newsom Is No Jack Kennedy

The following was originally published in the Jewish Journal and is republished in The Times of Israel Blogs with permission. He’s handsome, has great hair, and many say he has charisma. But when the world is burning and allies are...

Mar 2, 2026, 12:34 AM

A Prayer for Israel, America, Our Troops, and the People of Iran

This morning, our family in the United States joined a Zoom call with members of our family in Israel, who shared their fear and resolve as they endure ballistic missile attacks from Iran. The sirens did not sound during...

Jan 23, 2026, 11:38 PM

A UC Davis professor calls for violence against Jews — and keeps her position

Screenshot is from Professor Jemma Decristo’s posting on X (formerly Twitter) in October 2023. It was deleted within a few days of its original posting.

In September 2025, The Times of Israel published “What the heck is going on at UC Davis?” The answer is now clearer—and more disturbing—than ever. What follows is an op-ed published by The San Francisco Chronicle and reposted here...

About Me

Rabbi Reuven Taff, a native of Albany, New York, is rabbi emeritus of Mosaic Law Congregation in Sacramento, California, where he served for 25 years. His commentaries have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Examiner, The Sacramento Bee, The Jerusalem Post, Jerusalem News Syndicate (JNS), and other publications. Rabbi Taff also moderates The Jewish State of Mind, a YouTube series featuring conversations with distinguished guests about Israel, Jewish life, and contemporary issues affecting the Jewish community.

Contact Me