It’s all a matter of cause and effect. The cause is that in 164 B.C., a group of Jews led by Judah Maccabee captured the former Jewish Temple in Jerusalem, which had been turned into a pagan shrine by brutal King Antiochus IV. The effect is Jews today eat latkes for Hanukkah. Latkes — potato pancakes — are a delicious reminder of the Hanukkah story.
Feast on baked brisket and tzimmes during Hanukkah