2018

Customized

Ketubot

Couples choose their own meaningful designs.

ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

I

t’s 2 a.m. but for Aliza Sosne, the work
day is in full swing. While the rest of
her busy household and most of the
city sleeps, Sosne is in her well-lit base-
ment in Oak Park, music on, hard at work
on her latest ketubah. At 7:30 a.m., the
mother of eight will wake
her children and send
them off to school before
crashing for a few hours.
Essentially the wife’s
bill of rights, a ketubah
plays an important part
at every Jewish wedding,
and it is required to stay
Aliza Sosne
with the couple through-
out their marriage. Sosne
says they should love it.
“The ketubot are beautiful and practical at
the same time.”
What’s particularly special about her
ketubot is they’re customized to the
couple.
People tend to enjoy discovering what
makes them unique as both individuals
and couples. They also enjoy finding what
they have in common with their intended
spouse and are excited to include these
details as meaningful designs in their life-
long marriage contract.
Once, a couple requested pizza images
because the groom had proposed over a
slice; a lawyer wanted symbols of justice
like scales; and a couple who were diehard
Walt Disney fans wanted Mickey Mouse
ears on their ketubah.
At a time in their lives when they’re set
to branch out on their own, couples also
appreciate the ability to allude to their
family, history and culture. For example,
Sosne recently worked on a ketubah

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celebrate! • 2018

jn