Obj. ID: 54814
Jewish printed books  Le-Simchat Chatanei Ratzuf Ahavah, Istanbul (Constantinople), 1917

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

A Ketubah (Hebrew: כְּתוּבָּה ; "written thing"; pl. Ketubot) is a special type of Jewish prenuptial agreement. It is considered an integral part of a traditional Jewish marriage, and outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the bride. The content of the Ketubah is in essence a one-way contract that formalizes the various requirements by Halacha (Jewish law) of a Jewish husband vis à vis his wife. The Jewish husband takes upon himself in the Ketubah the obligation that he will provide to his wife three major things: clothing, food and conjugal relations, and also that he will pay her a pre-specified amount of cash in the case of a divorce. Thus the content of the Ketubah essentially dictates security and protection for the woman, and her rights in the marriage.

This document is signed and then given to the bride as her property. In Italy and most of the Islamic countries in which Jews resided, such a Ketubah was often decorated, a tradition originating with the Jews in Spain. Today, generally, printed Ketubot are used.

In line with the traditional large size of Ottoman Ketubot, this printed Ketubah is also impressive in its dimensions. It is one of four printings of this design, almost all dramatically colored, with this example being published in black ink. This elaborate design was made possible by lithographic printing. From the end of the 19th century, the tradition of hand-decorated Ketubot was replaced by the appearance of the less expensive and more readily available printed documents.

This is one of three such Ketubot in the Gross Family Collection that were printed in Izmir with this design, but an identical sheet in a different color was printed in Istanbul as well. The earliest of the three Izmir documents is this Ketubah from 1917.

The elaborate decorative scheme contains a variety of symbols, from the vine-covered columns, representing the columns of the temple, to the Magen David in the center, which was both a Jewish symbol and a magic symbol of luck. Within the six-pointed star are depicted clasped hands as a sign of the joining of the marrying couple.

Place used:                  Sokya, Turkey

Bride:                          Mazal Tov bat Meir

Groom:                        Yakim ben Shlomo Ganon