The great Jewish bake off

Every December since 1946, a debate has raged on at the University of Chicago between intellectuals, about which is the more perfect Jewish food: Latke vs Hamantash. 

In his last moments, an old man calls a longtime friend, and in his dying breath, he utters a single word: Hamantashen. He passes, and the only thing that can be heard is outraged sputtering on the phone as his academic rival yells in disbelief over the chutzpah to even think latkes the lesser Jewish food. 

The trailer is peak Jewish humor, exemplified through jokes where Jews not only make fun of themselves (as opposed to poking fun at another group) but also extoll the virtues of their culture in the same breath. It’s ironic and absurdist, and focused on one of the oldest shibboleths of Jewish celebrations; “They tried to kill us. They didn’t. Let’s eat!”

Producer Amy Krause is developing a documentary around the decades-long argument, and The Last Word, from director Kiran Koshy, shows one of the last exchanges of this heated, humorous quarrel. The piece was produced by Slash Dynamic.