A piece of paper ornately decorated with painted vines, flanked by columns topped by cherubs and filled with text in Hebrew

Ketubbah
1756
Dorot Jewish Division

Ketubbah

The ketubbah, the Jewish wedding contract, outlines the legal and financial responsibilities of a husband to his wife. Signed by witnesses, the document is typically hung prominently in a couple’s home, since Jewish law forbids a couple from cohabitating if their ketubbah is lost or destroyed. This particular contract was produced in Reggio Emilia, a town in northern Italy, and is finely adorned with floral motifs and cherubs. The bride, Armelinah bat Refael Otolengi (Armellina Ottolenghi), and the groom, Mosheh Shimshon ben Netanel Tsividal (Mosè Sansone Cividali), signed the contract on Friday, 2 Nisan, 5516 (April 2, 1756).

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