By Bette Zaret, Holocaust Education Programming
As Valentine’s Day approaches, I find myself thinking not about roses or chocolates but about the remarkable Holocaust Survivors who, over the years, have changed the way I understand love itself.
It still amazes me that people who endured humanity at its cruelest, who lost families, homes, childhoods, and entire worlds, are the very ones who have taught me how to live with love rather than hate. Survivors have every reason to turn inward, to close themselves off and dwell in anger or bitterness, and yet, the opposite is true. Time and again, I’ve watched them look at students, strangers, and communities with such generosity of spirit that it takes my breath away.
Love is what keeps our humanity alive. Survivors have shown me that love is an active choice to see humanity in others, even when it’s difficult, to respond to intolerance with education rather than rage, and to open my heart instead of closing it. They’ve shown me that compassion is its own form of strength, and that empathy is a responsibility, not an accessory.
Through their courage, stories, and unwavering belief in the goodness we’re capable of, they’ve taught me how to carry love in my heart, not just someday and not only for people I know but every day for the world around me. I am who I am because of them.
Survivors remind me that Valentine’s Day is not just about romantic love, it’s about the love we choose to offer humanity. It’s about kindness, connection, and the belief that every person deserves dignity. When they speak to students, they plant seeds of empathy that ripple outward; young people begin to understand what it means to love across differences, to welcome instead of exclude and to stand against hate rather than remain silent.
So, on this Valentine’s Day, I ask you consider joining me as I celebrate the Survivors who have taught me how to love bravely, compassionately, and intentionally. Their lives are proof that love can rise from devastation, outlast hatred, and ultimately, is the legacy we are meant to carry forward.
This same lesson is passed on to every student who hears them speak. When Survivors enter a classroom, they don’t just teach history, they teach life. Students quickly learn that love isn’t weakness, and kindness isn’t benign. Survivors show them that love was a form of resistance during the Holocaust: love of family, faith, culture, and life itself. They explain that hatred led to catastrophe but love helped people endure, rebuild, and reclaim their identities.
Students often walk away changed. They learn that love means treating others with dignity, standing up against cruelty, and using their voices to counter prejudice. Survivors teach them that every small act of compassion matters because indifference is dangerous, and love requires action. They remind students that we must never allow hate to go unchallenged: not in our schools, communities, or world.
So, this Valentine’s Day, and every day, let all of us not only think about hearts and flowers and chocolate or romantic love but about the kind of love Survivors embody, the love of human beings, justice, and life. This love refuses to let hatred win.
Because of what the Survivors have taught me, I try every day to lead with love. And that, to me, is the truest meaning of this holiday. That’s why I do what I love and love what I do. This is my purpose and my passion.
Please join me and the Jewish Federation as we continue to teach the Survivors’ invaluable lessons. To learn more about the Holocaust Education Initiative contact me at bzaret@jfedsrq.org.
