Free Republic

Last night, in the noisy 10-250 lecture hall, six respected professors gathered to continue a three-year debate of the merits and pitfalls of two Jewish delicacies: the latke, a fried potato pancake oft served with applesauce or sour cream during Hannukah, and the hamantasch, a three-sided, fruit-filled cookie traditionally eaten during the Jewish holiday of Purim. Defending the latke were Robert J. Silbey, dean of the School of Science, Music professor Brian Robison, and Literature professor Diana Henderson. Sitting opposite of them and defending the hamantasch were Mathematics professor Daniel J. Kleitman, Physics professor Alan Guth ’68, and Mechanical Engineering...