One Israeli pizzeria owner finds himself at ground zero of the presidential race.

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JTA’s Ben Harris discusses the scene up in New Hampshire. The state is buzzing about Obama. Several campaigns make their case to a Reform shul in Manchester. Turns out Nixon was right about Anthony Lake. Hey, was that Sam Donaldson?

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JTA staff writer Ben Harris looking dapper in his winter gear.

For the second year in a row, JTA’s Ben Harris and Jacob Berkman spent Christmas Eve hitting a bunch of Jewish-themed parties throughout Manhattan. Here’’s their take on this year’s festivities:

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No Mike Huckabee-Chinese restaurant sightings, but we stand by our claim earlier this week that the self-described “Christian Leader” is a Marrano.

And while we’re on the topic of Chinese Food on Christmas:

Check out this audio dispatch from Ben Harris, who is one of two JTA reporters at this week’s biennial convention of the Union for Reform Judaism. It’s a politically active, extremely liberal crowd of several thousand Jews — and, not surprisingly they’re buzzing in the hallways about the elections and cheering in the auditoriums about the need to stop any more conservative judges from getting on to the Supreme Court.

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Will the defeat of President Hugo Chavez’s broad-ranging constitutional referendum at the polls Sunday stem the tide of Venezuelan Jews leaving the country? JTA’s Larry Luxner speaks from Caracas with JTA Associate Editor Uriel Heilman about the mood among Venezuela’s Jews following the unexpected defeat of Chavez’s referendum.

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Russia’s Dec. 2 parliamentary elections are shaping up to be the least significant for the country’s Jews in the post-Soviet era. With Vladimir Putin steering the country toward authoritarianism, why does nobody seem to care? JTA Moscow correspondent Matt Siegel talks to JTA Associate Editor Uriel Heilman.

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D.C. Bureau Chief Ron Kampeas and I discuss his first day covering the Annapolis Summit.

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Is Annapolis going to be a case of form over substance? Will the conference propel Israel’s ties with Syrians or Saudis forward? Will the Palestinians and Israelis get down to the nitty gritty? JTA’s Leslie Susser talks with Associate Editor Uriel Heilman.

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