(JTA) -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, fresh off his first trip to Israel, has the attention of some key Jewish Republicans.

Fred Zeidman, a major Jewish donor to the campaign of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, says he hopes the trip leads Christie to seek national office.

"There's no question of this man's passion and devotion to Israel," Zeidman said. "I am certainly hopeful that he will take on a much more major role."

Lowey’s reputation as a premier pro-Israel lawmaker also may figure in the calculus of who gets the spot, although she is not making it an issue in her campaign. She has been a leader in securing assistance for Israel and has an unusually strong partnership with the foreign operations subcommittee chairwoman, Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), based in part on their commitment to the Israel-U.S. relationship.

.... Meanwhile in California, the Sherman-Berman race is already infused with pro-Israel politicking, and Sherman’s declared candidacy for the top Democratic spot on the foreign affairs committee only intensifies that element of the race. Berman, 71, and Sherman, 57, are both Jewish.

Sherman, in a statement to JTA, suggested that his tough postures on sanctioning Iran and supporting Israel were salient to his leadership bid.

“I have the breadth of experience to do the job and have worked tirelessly to help our caucus achieve a majority,” he said. “My record on Israel and on Iran sanctions is well known to all who read JTA reports.”...