It’s February, the month on the Gregorian calendar to celebrate love. Yes, I am aware that Valentine’s Day, observed on February 14, traces its origins to Christian martyrdom. In the third century, Emperor Claudius II Gothicus of Rome arrested a priest named Valentine for defying a Roman decree that forbade soldiers from marrying. Alas, poor Valentine, beheaded in the name of love.

And there did he lie, poor fellow, alone, unrecognized, unheralded for his sacrifice, until finally his deed and, ultimately, his eponymous name came to be associated with the idea of courtly love and romance that flourished during the 14th century — thanks, one might contend, perhaps, to a man named Hallmark, desperate to save his fledgling greeting card company from bankruptcy. And therein lies the tale of the secularization of a righteous celebration and a company capitalized today at $2.6 billion. But I digress…

Why am I telling you this?

Because in spite of its Christian origins, come February 14, I encourage you to take the opportunity to profess your love — to him, to her, to the noble ideas of compassion, selflessness and devotion. Yes, I know there are many levels of love —romantic love, familial love, sexual love, love of good friends, and yes, love of those struggling against the prevailing human condition. And why not broadcast that love if it is truly felt? People can express love in many ways. Some convey it through deeds and favors; others are more vocal about their sentimentalities, their emotional responses.

Actually, I don’t remember any of my school friends throwing around I-love-you’s or a lot of hugging and kissing either, except at teen parties at my friend Lorelei’s house. My father always kissed my mother goodbye when he left for work in the morning, and kissed her again when he returned in the evening. And my husband and I kissed and re-kissed at the Metro-North Station when he commuted daily from Westchester to New York City. When the children were in the car for drop-off or pick-up, they thought it great sport to watch out the windows to see who else got kissed — especially on Valentine’s day with candy and roses — and who didn’t. Big “Uh-oh’s” from the back seat for those who forgot.

I want to add a caveat before any of you rush to your computers, eager to take issue with this shul president for acknowledging St. Valentine’s Day and not mentioning the Jewish holiday of love — Tu B’Av — to be celebrated in 2025 on Saturday, August 9. I am aware, thank you. And you can take the advice above and apply it again on that date. In fact, if you want to celebrate Tu B’Av in a way more demonstrable than a simple “I love you” or a Hallmark card that will push the net worth of the company into yet a higher stratosphere, here’s the way the holiday of joy and matchmaking was celebrated in ancient Jerusalem: Women wore white clothing and danced in the moonlight with family and friends, preferably in a vineyard, enjoying goblets of wine to celebrate the grape harvest. And how convenient is that, right here in the North Fork’s wine region…unless you find disturbing the idea of tribute to another Roman god, Bacchus, he of wine and fertility, or the Greek god Dionysus, the god of winemaking. Chances are, the ancients danced the night away, paying no heed to those gods, and neither should they concern you. Dance and drink mightily with your loved ones wherever the music beckons.

But why wait?  Love, in all its many magical forms, truly is a welcome thing —  on February 14, on August 9, on any day you awaken with thoughts about someone you haven’t spoken with in too long, or someone you see every day who would appreciate a renewed declaration of the love you share.

I would end on that thought, except for this nagging concept of presidential responsibility and obligation. All the while we are thinking about love, I hope you will think about the shul we love, and apply your affection there as well. Keep in mind that the word valentine comes from the Latin word meaning strength. Keep our shul strong and our love for our faith even stronger. Visit. Participate. Enter the shul with thoughts of love, and leave filled with the satisfying pleasures of fellow congregants enjoying the strength of faith and the harmony of shared love and companionship.

—Sara Bloom