The 70th Annual Latke-Hamantash took place on November 22nd. This humorous debate pits the Latke – a Jewish potato pancake traditionally eaten on the holiday Hanukkah — against the hamentash — a triangular cookie eaten on the holiday of Purim.
As people file into Mandel Hall for the debate, they are handed ballots to vote for either the latke or the hamentash. ()Rhythm & Jews opens the event with a selection of Jewish parody songs. ()Rhythm & Jews performs the song “Werewolf Bar Mitzvah”. ()Rabbi and Executive Directer of Hillel Anna Levin Rosen explains that the latke and hamentash have been secretly married for seventy years. ()The debate moderator Hal Weitzman explains that the hamentash is modeled off the triangular hat of Haman, the villain of the Purim story. He precedes to determine whether people are Jewish friends or foes based on their headdress. ()Weitzman concludes that Trump wishes to make America grate again. ()()Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics Wendy Freedman explains that she can provide the first complete recipe for latkes and hamentashen. She argues that the latke is superior, since potatoes resemble planets, and latkes, the galaxies. ()Dean of the Social Sciences Division David Nirenberg shows a video where he conducts short interviews with other faculty members – they conclude that the latke is superior. ()Professor of Classics and Gender Studies Shadi Bartsch-Zimmer uses the medicine of the classical world to prove that the latke is the better food. ()Associate Professor of Computer Science Anne Rogers draws on her roles as computer scientist, administrator, and educator, to speak on behalf of the latke in what ended up a singularly one-sided debate. ()
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