Obj. ID: 55006
  Sacred and Ritual  Ketubah, Sighetu Marmaţiei (Sighet, Máramarossziget), circa 1920

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.

Printed material from Sighet is rare and a Ketubah from that place is even rarer, even if from the 20th century. There are several items in the Gross Family Collection from the same printer. The layout of the text is quite common in printed Ketubot of this period.

Bookstore:                       For sale at the bookstore of Mordechai Kahane