Growing up, gifts were not my favorite memory of Hanukkah. Yes, I enjoyed receiving the trendy toy that was on every commercial while I watched Disney, however, I could not tell you a single memory that revolved around presents. My memories often revolve around sitting together as a family and lighting the candles and singing songs with smiles on our faces. Immediately after the sounds of our voices came to end, a new and very exciting sound began. The sound of perfectly shredded potato patties hitting hot oil was better than any gift or song. We all sat waiting and debating the perfect dipping sauce while laughing at whoever came up with the weirdest one. These memories will always stay in my heart, and the past few years I have been able to share these moments with new friends as we sit around drying shredding potatoes to make crispy latkes in my university apartment. I am able to take these fond memories and share my culture with friends who have never even heard of a latke, and to me that is super special.
Culture and history are how a nation shapes itself to be what we know it to be today. Every country has its people, history, language, and meaningful traditions that have been around for a very long time. Israel, a country of only 74 years has a history of thousands of years before it was granted independence. With that, 74 years ago people of all religions, and ethnicities came to Israel and began calling it home. After WWII, many Jewish people were left stranded with nothing but their memories and cultural backgrounds. These memories are what shapes an individual and so many memories stem from the cultural foods we often share.
Jews from different countries have influenced the various traditional Jewish foods we eat. This week I will be discussing the history of a very popular and delicious Jewish favorite – the potato Latke! Latkes are typically made during Hanukkah to celebrate the Jewish perseverance in the Hanukkah story. Back in the second century B.C.E, the Greeks had decided to destroy the Jewish temple and there was a battle between the Jews and Greeks. With some miracle, the Jews won, and when they went to check the destroyed temple, they found all the oil jars had been destroyed and they could not light their menorah. There was a small jar left and they believed that the oil would only last 1 day, but to their surprise, the oil lasted 8 days! That is why we light the menorah for 8 nights and why we eat foods typically made with a lot of oil.
The origin of the latke stems from Italian pancakes which were made with cheese. It then became popularized for Hannukah by the Italian Rabbi Kalonymus ben Kalonymus. Then when potatoes came to eastern Europe, they became a traditional Ashkenazi Jewish staple that is made yearly. This dish can be made with other ingredients such as cheese or onions and is quite versatile in the Jewish world. Jews from all over now make this dish to honor our ancestors and for a delicious treat. This is just one of many examples of a dish that came from hardship and is now celebrated. Another example of Jews from around the entire globe coming together and culture-swapping something so simple but with such a powerful history and meaning.
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