Large, Illuminated Ketubah – The Karaite Community in Çufut Qale – The Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine, 1796

Large, Illuminated Ketubah – The Karaite Community in Çufut Qale – The Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine, 1796

Ketubah recording the marriage of the groom Mordechai son of Yosef Sinan Kalpa, and the bride Biknash daughter of Azariah. Qirg Yer (Tatar name of Çufut Qale), the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine, Friday 29th Adar II 1796.
Ink and paint on paper.
Large, illuminated ketubah of the Karaite community in Çufut Qale, the Crimean Peninsula, reflecting the unique Karaite customs and text: the ketubah is written in Hebrew (not in Aramaic), and the document is divided into two parts – the upper part contains the ketubah text, while the lower part lists the dowry being brought in by the bride; the ketubah is signed by a minimum of ten witnesses (fourteen in this case).
The ketubah text mentions Catherine II, Empress of Russia. It also mentions the couple's mutual commitment to the Karaite calendar "as stipulated on Mount Sinai…".
The ketubah is enclosed in a wide, rectangular border decorated with colorful flowers and ornaments in hues of yellow and gold, as well as an inner frame containing many verses of blessings in red ink. Two large pointed arches decorated in gold occupy the center of the ketubah – the ketubah text is set in the upper arch while the dowry is listed in the lower arch.
Crimea's Karaites were centered in Çufut Qale (the Jewish Fortress) until the end of the 19th century, when it was gradually abandoned, eventually becoming a ghost town. Until 1783, Crimea's Jews were forbidden to settle in the capital, and they therefore settled in nearby Çufut Qale. After the Crimean Peninsula was conquered by the Russian Empire, Jews were permitted to settle wherever they wanted, leading to an exodus from the city, until it was eventually deserted. Abraham Firkovich, leader of the Karaite community in Eastern Europe, was one of the last Karaites to live there.
See also previous item and item no. 60 in this catalogue (embroidered tablecloth from the Karaite community in Göslöw).

79X55 cm. Fair-good condition. Folding marks, tears and creases. Stains. Minor damage to text and illustrations.

Reference and exhibitions:
* Karaite Jews in the East, in: Peamim, 90, Jerusalem, Yad Ben Zvi, 2002 (Hebrew).
* Reise an kein Ende der Welt. Vienna, Jüdisches Museum Wien, 2001, pp. 122-123.
* Only on Paper, Six Centuries of Judaica from the Gross Family Collection. Chicago, Columbia College, 2005.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 035.011.019.
The ketubah is documented on the NLI website, and on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 45791.