Hanukkah, an eight-day Jewish holiday, begins this year on the evening of December 16. It can not at all be complete without the latkes, which are the famous potato pancakes that are shallow-fried and made of grated or ground potato, flour and egg.

Hanukkah is commemorating the rededication of the Holy Temple or the Second Temple in Jerusalem, back in the time of the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire of the 2nd century BC.

Latkes are basically simple potato pancakes that are often flavored with grated onion or garlic and seasoning. They are also topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savory such as sour cream or cottage cheese to the sweet such as apple sauce or sugar. Some people also like to have it un-garnished.

Devorah Marrus, a self-described "foodie" along with her husband, Rabbi Levi Marrus, loves making these fantastic potato latkes. The couple also makes sure that they tell their three children the story of the Maccabees and their fight to regain the temple from the Syrian-Greeks, who had desecrated the holy place by putting idols within its sanctuary.

History suggests that once the Jews were victorious, they wanted to purify the temple and so they relit the eternal flame on the Menorah, the distinctive branched sacred lampstand. They just found only one vial of consecrated olive oil whose seal had not been broken during the defiling of the temple. Miraculously this oil lasted for eight days.

The oil for cooking the latkes is symbolic of this oil from this Hanukkah story. Devorah and Levi Marrus came to Columbia seven years ago to join two other rabbis and their families associated with the Chabad movement of Orthodox Judaism. As Orthodox Jews, they are committed to spreading the joy and understanding of Judaism and the holidays are a wonderful medium for that.