Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History 

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

78 | FEBRUARY 16 • 2023 

Celebrating LOVE
I

t was Valentine’s Day this past Tuesday. For many of us, a time to recognize our love for our sweet-
ies with gifts like candy, greeting cards, or — as some advertisements in the JN over the past 80 
years indicate — cars, diamonds and gold jewelry. (I really hope Pam, my wife, was not expecting a 
Cadillac. I only gave her candy.)
Valentine’s Day is also a controversial holiday in the Jewish community. On one hand, it is named 
after a Catholic saint and considered a Christian religious holiday by some, so why would Jews cele-
brate this day? On the other hand, after advertising firms and greeting card manufacturers discovered 
Valentine’s Day, it can be said to be a typical secular American affair — a “Hallmark holi-
day” — so why not show someone a little love?
Although its Catholic origins can be traced to the third century, Valentine’s Day has its 
roots in the mid-19th century. Esther Howland is credited with the first production of a 
Valentine Day card in 1847, beginning the transformation of handwritten notes to greet-
ing cards. Today, when counting school activities, an estimated 1 billion cards will change 
hands in the U.S.
In 1868, Cadbury, the massive British candy company, contributed to the cause when 
it created heart-shaped chocolate boxes for Valentine’s Day. An estimated $25 billion will 
be spent on Valentine candy this year.
A Barton’s ad in the Feb. 12, 1953, JN, boasted of combining the two Valentine’s Day trends. This 
Jewish-owned national candy store chain created a chocolate greeting card that you could eat!
I dove into the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History to see what 
I could find about Valentine’s Day. The first mention of Valentine’s Day 
was in the Feb. 11, 1921, Jewish Chronicle. It was an advertisement for — 
you guessed it — Valentine’s Day candy. 
In fact, more than a thousand pages in the Archive mention Valentine’s 
Day. The bulk of them are advertisements for gifts, especially candy and 
jewelry. There were also lots of ads for restaurants with Valentine’s Day 
offerings. In this regard, Danny Raskin often noted particular eateries that 
had special menus for the day.
I also found other stories beyond advertisements. For one example, 
beginning in the early 1920s, in the Chronicle’s Society News, there are 
many announcements for Valentine’s Day dances or dinners sponsored by 
Jewish communal organizations. 
Several articles in the JN discuss Valentine’s Day mitzvahs. Patty 
Rosenfeld led Brownie Troop 1082 when it sent Valentine’s Day cards to 
troops stationed in the Persian Gulf (May 31, 1991, JN). “Heart to Heart” 
is the story of Jewish youth teaming up with JARC residents to produce 
Valentines and gift bags for Detroit women, teens and children who were 
living with AIDS (Feb. 15, 2000).
And there are the love stories. “Reunited” is about the 30-year 
courtship of Karen Cohen and Richard Tessler, who were engaged on 
Valentine’s Day and married on “Sweetest Day,
” another Hallmark hol-
iday (Oct. 22, 1999). The story of Howard and Nichole (Sorkin) Gold 
was aired on national TV the week of Valentine’s Day in 1994 (Feb. 11, 
1994).
So, is it a good idea to celebrate Valentine’s Day? Maybe Rabbi 
Benjamin Blech has the answer: “Yes, we should celebrate love … 
every day of the year!” 

Want to learn more? Go to the DJN Foundation archives, available for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

