This week in power: Obama, Christie, New Haggadah, Top rabbis

A roundup of the most talked about political and global stories in the Jewish world this week:

Obama’s soaring
According to a Public Religion Research Institute poll of 1,004 Jewish adults, ” title=”http://forward.com/articles/154149/obama-riding-high-with-jewish-voters/” target=”_blank”>explained The Jewish Daily Forward. This might indicate something about Jewish voters. “Americans — and especially Jewish Americans — are long overdue for a serious consideration about what it means for religion to influence the values that our society should reflect,” ” title=”http://www.mediaite.com/online/photo-of-wasserman-schultz-aide-using-derogatory-slur-goes-viral-%E2%80%93-but-it-shouldn%E2%80%99t/” target=”_blank”>said Noah Rothman at Mediaite. On the other side is ” title=”http://www.thejewishweek.com/blogs/political_insider/christie_pre_presidential_pilgrimage_jerusalem” target=”_blank”>Jersey to Jerusalem” tour could serve some good, though. “Christie is looking to strengthen the state’s economic ties to Israel and to bolster his political résumé with a taste of foreign policy,” ” title=”http://www.nypost.com/p/news/international/the_whale_at_the_wall_oken1GUqPamnfVeZB6xgHL” target=”_blank”>wrote The New York Post.

Foer’s Haggadah
In an op-ed in The New York Times, writer ” title=”http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/145867785.html” target=”_blank”>said a Philadelphia Inquirer reviewer. “Considering the competing pile of Haggadahs at my seder table, there’s a chance it could be. But then again, when considering the illuminated nature of this Haggadah’s text, there’s a better chance I may use it two years in a row,” ” title=”http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/02/america-s-top-50-rabbis-for-2012.html” target=”_blank”>ranked and left up for debate the top rabbis with David Wolpe taking the top spot. “In a series of disclaimers, they seek to head off the standard criticism engendered by such lists. They acknowledge that there are more than 50 worthy rabbis in the US and explain that most of the rabbis they recognized reside on the two coasts because that’s where the major Jewish seminaries and communities are located,” ” title=”http://www.thejewishweek.com/blogs/yad/why_newsweeks_top_50_american_rabbis_waste_time” target=”_blank”>argued, “To be sure, the problem isn’t with Wolpe — a contributor to this paper, and an extremely thoughtful rabbi. It’s with the increasing insignificance of a list made every year.  Here’s one suggestion on how to change that: do it every other year, or maybe every five, even ten.” Do it that way, and people will really care about it.