J Street brought out the knives this week to carve a Jack’o’Lantern for a lobby display in its NW Washington digs.

(J Street, which does not exist as a street, is situated on L Street, which is part of what lobbyists and those who watch lobbyists call the K Street Corridor. Got that?)

In the same building, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy had this offering. My informant was spooked by the Dragon, but I see it as a hopeful message to Israelis and Palestinians: split open the gourd, and there’s candy for everyone!

UPDATE: The Washington Free Beacon was all over this even before we were, and even solicited insider observations!

Ron Kampeas is JTA’s Washington bureau chief, responsible for coordinating coverage in the U.S. capital and analyzing political developments that affect the Jewish world. He comes to JTA from The Associated Press, where he worked for more than a decade in its bureaus in Jerusalem, New York, London and, most recently, Washington. He has reported from Northern Ireland, Afghanistan, Bosnia and West Africa. While living in Israel, he also worked for the Jerusalem Post and several Jewish organizations.