One Of A Kind A local artisan creates customized, spectacularly embellished ketubot to last a lifetime. Lynne Konstantin I Contributing Writer / n Paris, France, where Aliza Sosne grew up, most schoolchildren had Wednesdays off, and that is when they would attend extracurricular activities — sports, music, art. But since Sosne attended a Jewish day school far from home, she only had Saturday off, for Shabbat, and had no time to pursue her develop- ing love of drawing, painting, doodling — pretty much anything she could get her hands on. Years later, when she moved to New York City to attend the Rika Breuer Teachers Seminary in Washington Heights, her schedule allowed her to take some art classes and explore her talents, which evolved into passions. She found that she was particularly gifted at calligraphy in both English and Hebrew, and was thrilled to receive an apprenticeship with renowned artist Jay Greenspan. A calligrapher, illuminator, paper cutter and sofer (a Jewish scribe who can transcribe Torah scrolls and other religious writings), Greenspan also taught Sosne a few very practical, yet highly important lessons. "He gave me more than simply exposure to his incredible art," Sosne says. "Just by watching him, I learned how to apply my art to a business, how to interact with clients and listen to them, how to understand what they want — even when they don't know themselves." When Sosne met and married her husband, Gabriel, a medical residency brought the couple to Michigan, where they settled in Oak Park. When she married, Sosne created her own ketubah, a Jewish marriage contract whose origins date back to 80 B.C.E. Since at least the 14th century, it has been traditional to make it a decorative keepsake to display in the home. C3 4 celebrate! I March 2013 Because Sosne and her husband were married during Chanukah, she intertwined symbols and icons of the holiday in her design, including chanukiah (Chanukah menorah). While raising her children (four boys and four girls, ranging in age from 3 to 21), she created more than 100 ketubot and began a specialty invitation business, Simcha Calligraphy, out of a studio space in her home in Oak Park. In addition to her own custom designs on gor- geous papers, most bought in Michigan to support local communities, Sosne offers catalogue invitations with the added flexibility of includ- ing both English and Hebrew typesetting. While clients would come to discuss wedding invitations, they would admire her ketu- bot, so about two years ago, she began to offer custom- designed magically illuminat- ed ketubot through Simcha Calligraphy. Combining her years of education in and knowledge of Judaism and the symbolism within (peacocks represent fertility, for example, and pomegranates stand for wisdom and good deeds) with the skills she learned from Greenspan and her own innate artistic talents, Sosne will sit down with each client to create a work of art that represents each individual couple. "Sometimes they know exactly what they want, or what they like, but often they have no idea," Sosne says. So she coaxes it out with con- versation. "The first visit can be a lot like marriage counseling," she says. She will ask what their backgrounds are, about their professions, their favorite colors and shapes, and sometimes will ask them to print out pictures online that appeal to them in any way. And Sosne will work around them, adding symbol- ism when they want it. "Wherever Jews were during a period in time in history, their art tended to mimic their sur- roundings, so I've done ketubot in the style of Italian Florentine, rich in color and interlocking patterns, as well as very simple and primitive styles," says Sosne. "I'm working on one now with two trees — one will have J Date etched inside, because that's how the couple met, and the tree will have roots with their grandpar- ents' names, extending the gener- ations. But I've also done ketubot based on gift-wrapping paper, a big, beautiful watercolor design. I can work with whatever the cou- ple wants. It can be as elaborate a drawing or simple, with the text more prominent, as they like." The most important thing to Sosne, however, is that the ketubah stand the test of time, both physically and artistically. Each ketubah is created on a large piece of archival-quality cotton paper with gouache and pigments that will not fade over time. "People will evolve, and the ketubah can evolve with them and still be fresh, if it is worked around them, their lives and what's important to them," says Sosne. "Whether the marriage lasts or not, the ketubah will always be there!" ❑ Simcha Calligraphy, (248-761-9932; sim- cha calligraphy. net).