Palestinian Ketubah (Ṣā, Egypt)

This Palestinian ketubah from Ṣā, Egypt, a small village in the Nile Delta (now Sa el-Hagar), may be the only documented evidence of Jewish settlement in that locale. The ketubah is for the marriage of ‘Allūn ben Daniel and ‘Azūz bat Joseph, a divorcée. This document underscores the poverty of the Jews in Ṣā, as the dowry was quite a small sum. ‘Azūz’s previous divorce may also have been a contributing factor to her impoverished situation. The ketubah largely follows Palestinian Rabbanite practices, but the early payment of the mohar (bridal gift) and the phraseology of the witness statement do not adhere to those traditions.