Obviously, Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh and Cupid are religious figures and should not be incorporated into any public school classroom activities or decorations

Dear Teachers,

Tomorrow some of your Christian students may be observing the Christian holiday of Yom Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh, more commonly known as Christian Tu B’Av. It is one of their important religious ‘Feast Days’ that even the least frum observe. The holiday falls on Adar Alef 5th this year, which is 14 Febuairiy according to the Christian holy calendar of Pope Gregory. Confusingly, due to a confusing combination of holiday calculations, this year, Yom Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh will coincide with the solemn day of Ash Fourthday. We at the school have no idea how Christians will manage the mitzvot of a day celebrating love with the mitzvot of a day of prayer and contemplation but if any students ask about it, please tell them that it’s against school policy to discuss religion, and suggest that they ask their local Christian Rabbi because this question is above our pay grade.

Even though we are all accustomed to celebrating love on Tu B’Av in the summer, Christians have a tradition of celebrating Yom Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh as their own cultural day of love and friendship in the bitter cold of winter.

Yom Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh originated in an ancient pagan holiday called ‘Lupercalia.’ Men would sacrifice a goat, tear the goat’s hide into strips, dip the strips into the sacrificial blood, and slap women with the bloody goat-hide strips, believing it would make them more fertile.

Christians changed the holiday to ‘Yom Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh’ in honor of an early Christian tzaddik who was known for performing marriages among young people, and who was executed by authorities for his beliefs.

On Yom Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh, young Christians visit the kever of Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh at a Christian shul in Medinat Eire, to daven for a successful shidduch. Christians do not wear white nor dance in vineyards for their holiday.

Modern Christians also have a number of fascinating folk beliefs surrounding the holiday. They believe that an invisible cherub called “Cupid” armed with a bow flies around and fires magic arrows through the heart. Instead of killing them instantly like the Angel of Death, Christians believe the arrows help them find their bashert.

Oddly, despite being a cherub, Cupid is depicted as an adorable winged baby instead of a fearsome, four-faced guardian of the mishkan or Gan Eden.

Obviously, Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh and Cupid are religious figures and should not be incorporated into any public school classroom activities or decorations.

One custom that you may encounter in your school is the special gifts that Christians give to loved ones on this holy day. These tokens of appreciation resemble small mishloach manot and are referred to as “valentines”. A “valentine” was traditionally a card only, but today they typically comprise a card and a small gift. The gift may be a food (chocolate is traditional), or a non food gift such as flowers or jewelry. Children’s “valentines” may comprise a card with a pun about love, sometimes accompanied by candy or a small toy. Some Christians may visit a specialty Christian market to purchase traditional confections, such as hard-packed sugar hearts with words of lovingkindness printed on them.

A religious Feast Day for a Christian Tzaddik is obviously not an excuse for violating our public school district’s evidence-based, developmentally sound public health restriction on the distribution of sugar in the classroom. Please advise your Christian-identifying students that if they wish to distribute their mishloach manot, they should limit their “valentine” to non-food items.

If a student gives you a heart-shaped card in honor of their holiday, you may accept it. You will not be suspected of an inappropriate relationship nor subject to disciplinary action by Human Resources.

There are no work restrictions on Yom Saint Valentine Ha’Kadosh. The students at our school are too young to make the traditional pilgrimage to Medinat Eire, so absences will not be excused.

Thank you, as always, for all your hard work!

Shavua Tov,
Principal Liba Hartman

#MedinatAmerica