Family Photos From the Middle East
Marriage contract, Ketuba, 1907
This marriage contract , called "Ketuba", belonged to my grandparents, who got married in 1907 in the old city of Jerusalem, where both grew up. The ketuba, which was printed in the old city of Jerusalem, is decorated in the traditional manner. It includes the words of the Bible which are being recited in each Jewish celebration: "If I forget Thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning, If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; If I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy".
At the bottom left one can see a depiction of Jerusalem and on the right , the city of Jericho.
The custom of the Ketuba goes back to ancient biblical times. The contract establishes certain rights for the woman during the marriage and also in the event that the marriage was dissolved.
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