Obj. ID: 55083
  Sacred and Ritual  Shtar Ketubah, Tel Aviv, 1957

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.

This is a large standard Ketubah with decorations used by the Chief Rabbinate of the Petah Tikvah region in the 1950's and 60's. It is the same as 035.011.287, but this example is folded into a decorated cardboard cover from the Chief Rabbinate and was used in Tel Aviv as contrasted with the other example that was used at the Rabbinate in Petah Tikvah and has the name of the printer.

The wedding took place on Tuesday 21 Elul 5717 (17 September 1957).

Groom:                             Ya'akov ben Chayyim Ashranti (?)

Bride:                                Leah bat Nissim Matrani