This week in power: Obama arrives, New pope, Pollard fight, Passover preview

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

Obama in israel
Although nobody is expecting the Presidet to make any sweeping changes during his short stay in israel this week, “if any progress is going to be made on the Mideast peace front (or the Iran situation) this trip will be the pivotal moment for anything he hopes to accomplish there in his second term,” ” target=”_blank”>key issues. “If Obama improves his standings with the Israelis and patches things up with Netanyahu, he can call the trip a success. The raised expectations can come later,” ” target=”_blank”>according to JTA's Mordechai Levin, and he has a “commitment to building a better society.” It's not just the Jews who are rejoicing, but other faiths, too. “When he told his colleagues in Rome that [the Islamic community here] would visit him at the diocese, he said they were surprised; that they couldn’t believe it,” an Islamic Center representative ” target=”_blank”>wrote Joyce S. Dubensky in The Huffington Post.

Pollard strike
One group that will be protesting via a hunger strike upon Obama's landing in Israel are supporters of Jonathan Pollard, the American serving a life term for spying for Israel. They say it's time to send Pollard home. “No, he is not innocent of wrong-doing. No one ever said that. But he has served his time – and another 4 times as much as he should have served,” ” target=”_blank”>said Bret Stephens in The Wall Street Journal. “So here's something else I'd like Mr. Obama to do while he's in Israel: Insist that the square be renamed. Maybe then, in a quieter hour and without regard to diplomacy or politics, can Jonathan Pollard's fate be reconsidered in a purely humanitarian light.”

Hungary honor
Outrage erupted after Hungary announced that a Jewish sociologist, Andreas Kovacs, and two people accused of making anti-Semitic statements were going to receive prestigious national awards called the Szechenyi Prize, ” target=”_blank”>win favor with the far right.

Passover prep
Passover is around the corner and the talk of food is in the air. “Thing is, I've got all year to drink good wine. Passover is the one night when I can ignore taste and can reach again and again (and again) for the Manischewitz,” ” target=”_blank”>said Bonnie S. Benwick in The Washington Post. And think about others while you clean this weekend,