The Ruth Fredman Cernea Great Latke Hamantash Debate
Sunday, December 10th, 2017
3:30 p.m.
White Theatre, Jewish Community Campus
Photos from the 2016 Debate
Video of the 2016 Debate
Join us for the next
Ruth Fredman Cernea Great Latke Hamantash Debate
Sunday, December 10th, 2017
Reservations or Admittance at the Door
The cost to attend is $5.00 per person plus a canned good(s) that will be donated to the Jewish Family Services community food pantry, children 12 and under are admitted for free.
For more information, please contact us online or call 913-642-6460.
Our 2016 Debaters
Rabbi Jeffrey Shron
Team Latke
Samuel Feinberg
Team Latke
Loring Leifer
Team Latke
Dr. John Lantos
Team Hamantash
Josh Allmayer
Team Hamantash
Samantha Feinberg
Team Hamantash
Our Esteemed Rabbinical Court
Rabbi Scott White
Congregation Ohev Sholom
Rabbi Beryl Padorr
Congregation B’nai Jehudah
Rabbi Linda Steigman
Brookdale Senior Living
Why Have a Debate About Latkes & Hamantashen?
Because it’s fun! It’s entertaining! And, quite simply, there may be no more important topic to confront society in our time. Yes, for two hours, you will watch six funny, smart people, divided into two teams, argue for what is better: the latke or the hamantash. But, really, that’s just a springboard to exploring a wide range of substantial topics: art, music, politics, war, peace, design, fashion, national identity, even the meaning of life itself (it’s happened before, and it will happen again—just you watch).
And after the rebuttals, and after the ultimate winners are determined by a panel of judges and a vote by you, the audience, you’ll never guess what happens next: we eat! (Of course, we eat.) Latkes and hamantashen for all. Let the applesauce flow! Let the pastry melt in your mouth! Regardless of how the debate turns out, everybody wins.
“Highly absurd yet deeply serious, the annual debate is an opportunity for both ethnic celebration and academic farce. In poetry, essays, jokes, and revisionist histories, members of elite American academies attack the latke-versus-hamantash question with intellectual panache and an unerring sense of humor, if not chutzpah.”
— Ruth Fredman Cernea,
The Great Latke Hamantash Debate
Our Distinguished Professor of Ceremonies
Dr. Christopher Kelts, Director of Orchestral Studies & Conducting at Missouri State University, continues as honorable moderator of The Great Latke Hamantash Debate.
Through his thorough studies in Mozart’s triangulated key signatures during the Classical Era of music, Dr. Kelts continues his research on the longevity and inspiration of the Hamantash to western art music of the 18th and 19th centuries. Not swayed by his research in this most academic research, Dr. Kelts has embarked on the connections between the Latke – its shape – and the music of the great PDQ Bach, who, by all accounts, loves commas in sentences in which his name is used.
Joined today in keeping time of, what promises to be some long winded debaters, is his spouse and partner in crime, Maureen Kelts.
Drawing from his other esteemed colleagues, NOT represented here today, Dr. Kelts makes it a point to interject a sense of levity and dignity to this long standing debate – filled with tradition and hardcore facts! Ready? Get Set? Let’s Get It On!
Our Eminent Mistress of Ceremonies. And Timekeeper.
Maureen Kelts graduated from Missouri State University in 2004.
As if being married to Dr. Chris Kelts were not proof enough of her sense of humor and patience, Maureen taught middle schoolers in Drama and Debate for many years.
History of the Debate
The Latke Hamantash Debate has been a University of Chicago tradition since 1946. It started with two professors and a Hillel director who worried that their Jewish students felt alienated in the midst of the American celebration of Christmas. Every year since then, dedicated Hillel directors, with the support of the University, have held the debate. And every year, distinguished participants hold forth on the merits and significance of latkes and hamantashen. Past participants have included Nobel Prize winners and University presidents. Each year, over 1,000 people attend at the University of Chicago.
Though the Debate began in Chicago, it has grown to include numerous college campuses, synagogues and Jewish centers nationwide. Sponsored by Congregation Ohev Sholom and underwritten by the Ruth Fredman Cernea Memorial Fund, this is our 4th annual debate in Kansas City.
In Honor of Ruth Cernea Fredman
- This event is held in honor of Ruth Fredman Cernea, beloved aunt of Ohev Sholom member, Melanie Allmayer. Cernea edited the book, The Great Latke-Hamantash Debate, a collection of some of the best material from debates over the years. [Read more about the book.]
Cernea was a former director of publications and resources at the Hillel International Center. She began work on the book with the intention of preserving the most memorable, and earliest, debates into one book. The book discusses the historical and social context of the debate’s founding. The book also provides an overview of the Jewish holidays, latke and hamantash recipes, and a glossary of Yiddish and Hebrew terms, so that Jewish and non-Jewish reader alike can enjoy the debaters’ erudition and humor.
What is a Latke or a Hamantash Anyway?
Latkes are traditionally eaten during the festival of Hanukkah. They are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, flour, and egg. The oil for cooking the latkes is symbolic of the oil from the Hanukkah story that kept the menorah in the Second Temple of ancient Israel lit with a long-lasting flame that is celebrated as a miracle.
Hamantashen are usually eaten during the holiday of Purim, and are filled, triangular-shaped cookies or pastries. The shape is achieved by folding in the sides of a circular piece of dough, with a filling placed in the center. They are made with various fillings, including poppy seeds, prunes, dates, apricots, apples, and cherries.
Images from Debate 2015
Media Resources
For media inquiries, contact Victor Wishna at 646.526.4172 or by email at victorjw@gmail.com.
We have news releases and images available for download.
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