The Modern Ketubah Blog

I just released the following press release about Modern Ketubah.

Artist Creates a Modern Twist on an Old Wedding Tradition: Fine art photographer Daniel Sroka creates unique wedding certificates that appeal to the tastes and sensibilities of modern couples.

Morristown, NJ (PRWEB) May 31, 2006 — Couples hoping to find a unique and meaningful way to celebrate their marriage now have a beautiful alternative founded in an old tradition – the ketubah, a wedding document symbolizing life ahead together as a couple and an artistic heirloom to pass down to generations to come. Rooted in Jewish tradition, the ketubah is a work of art that celebrates the vows of the bride and groom, and is signed by them during the marriage ceremony. The ketubah has been going through a creative resurgence, fueled in part by artists like Daniel Sroka. Mr. Sroka combines his talents in photography and graphic design to create fine art ketubot that both appeal to the tastes of modern brides and grooms, and meet the needs of modern, non-traditional wedding ceremonies.
Mr Sroka’s exquisite designs combine his photography of flowers and nature with traditional or contemporary texts, and are available through his own online store, Modern Ketubah.

Mr. Sroka got his start while planning his own wedding. Like all couples, Mr. Sroka and his fiancée were looking for the “perfect” ketubah, one that reflected their artistic taste and their contemporary ideas of marriage. “But every ketubah we found seemed to rely on the same traditional images and the same old-fashioned language,” Mr. Sroka explained. “They did not hold any special meaning for our wedding.”

Mr. Sroka decided to combine his skills at graphic design and photography to create his own ketubah. He found the perfect symbol for marriage in a photograph he took of an ancient rose bush in their garden. “Unlike the traditional images, we felt that this flower symbolized marriage to us. Even though its strong branches support and protect the plant, only constant care and attention enable it reach its full potential and beauty.” Mr. Sroka’s ketubah design was so well received that he decided to go into business for himself, creating ketubot for others looking for something out of the ordinary.

Since Mr. Sroka’s ketubah designs do not rely on traditional religious images, they are especially popular among interfaith couples, and non-Jewish couples. “All of my ketubah designs come from my fine art photography of nature. Flowers and leaves are natural symbols of life and joy, that give couples a more contemporary way to celebrate their wedding. My goal is to create ketubot which any couple, from any background or tradition can find meaningful to their own wedding.”
After three years, and hundreds of ketubot, Daniel Sroka has created ketubot for all kinds of wedding ceremonies: including Jewish weddings, interfaith weddings, non-religious ceremonies, and gay and lesbian weddings. He has also made fine art wedding certificates for anniversary celebrations, and as thank you gifts for the parents. “It’s been a special honor for me, being able create works of art that become a significant part of the lives of my customers.”

About Daniel Sroka and Modern Ketubah: Daniel Sroka is a fine art photographer and award-winning graphic designer. His photography offers a unique and intimate glimpse into the mystery of the natural world, exploring the interplay of light, form, and texture found within leaves and flowers. He has also worked as a graphic designer in Japan and the USA, and was Yahoo!’s first Creative Director. His photography has been in numerous shows, and can be seen on his website. Modern Ketubah is Daniel Sroka’s online store for his contemporary ketubah designs that showcase his fine art photography of flowers, leaves, and nature.
For more information, visit http://www.modernketubah.com/contact.php

In the Jewish tradition “hiddur mitzvah”, it is a mitzvah, a good act, to make religious objects as beautiful as possible. Beautifying these ceremonial objects heightens their spiritual quality, and reflects their importance and value. I believe that it also encourages people to make those objects an integral part of their lives. Here’s an example: we used to have a plain-looking menorah that my wife picked up in college. It was functional, but not that attractive, so it stayed in the closet most of the year. But after our son was born, we wanted to “upgrade” and find a new menorah for our new family, something that could become an heirloom. We found one made by a metalsmith from Vermont that was (to put it simply) gorgeous. Simple, pure, strong — a real work of art. Because of that beauty, an object that was once hidden now stays on our mantle all year long.

It’s a wonderful concept, and one that I find very compelling as an artist. It reinforces what many of us artists already feel at a gut level — that our work can serve a greater purpose than simply making “pretty things”. That making beautiful things can itself be a spiritual act. I think of this a lot as I make ketubot. My goal is to make this cermonial object as beautiful as possible, so that the couple who receives it will think of it not only as a wedding document, but a work of art that they will treasure.

One of the most common questions I receive is: How long does it take to make a ketubah? The truth is, you could get one in 30 seconds: just visit your rabbi and he’ll pull a blank form “ketubah” from his desk. Official, yes. But it has more in common with a job application than a symbol of your wedding! To get a ketubah that is a work of art, that takes just a little longer. The ketubah is one part of your wedding you should not choose because “it’s fast”.

When you order one of my ketubot, it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks for you to get it. Why does it take that long? There are a lot of things that need to get done — by me, by you, and by your rabbi. First, if your text has any Hebrew, you’ll need to collect some information, like your Hebrew names, and the Hebrew names of your parents (some people know this off the top of their head, while others need to go digging). Once I get this information, I personalize your English and Hebrew texts, create your ketubah, and send you an email with proofs. You then review the proofs with a fine-toothed comb, making sure everything is correct. You should also ask your rabbi to review the Hebrew (he’s going to sign it, so he needs to make sure everything is ok). Once everything meets your approval, I print and ship your ketubah to you.

Of course if your wedding is coming up fast, just send me an email — if we work together, we may be able to get everything done much faster.

Tracy at Fresh Bride added another nice post about my ketubah designs (thank you!), in which she mentioned was how my designs are well-suited for people who are planning a non-religious ceremony. That’s a great point. When I design my ketubot, I specifically avoid overtly-religious symbols, in favor of more univeral images of flowers and leaves. These images from nature are symbols that can be appreciated by anyone, regardless of their religious beliefs or traditions.

I recently received the nicest emails from a customer of mine:

It’s been almost a year since you’ve heard from us but I had to follow up with you. Recently, Michael and I bought our first home. We both agreed that the first thing we needed to do was hang our beautiful ketubah over the fireplace. It looks amazing and we are so proud of it. Having it there for us to appreciate countless times during the day, everyday, has really made a house our home. Thank you again — we are, obviously, still very happy with our ketubah — thought you should know.
- Melissa and Michael

Comments like these remind me of what I love about making ketubot. Unlike any other form of art, I get the chance to create something that symbolizes one of the most important days in the lives of my customers. And that makes me feel both very humble, and very lucky.

This spring I introduced a new ketubah design, called “African Lily” (click here to see it). The african lily, also know as agapanthus or lily-of-the-nile, is a unique and beautiful flower from South Africa. When I was living in California, we had these growing everywhere. They are a unique and beautiful plant. The main part of the plant is a tight bundle of broad leaves that shoot out of the ground. For most of the year, it looks like this. But then in the spring, long delicate stems grow out of the center, two or three times taller than the main plant. Each of these stems has one bright purple bud on it, that bursts open into one colorful flower. This photograph is of an african lily from my own garden, taken right when the buds were about to bloom. For more information on this plant, visit the agapanthus page on Wikipedia.

I recently got a nice mention on the blog Fresh Bride, in a post called “Ketubahs with Love“. The site is run by ceremony designer Tracy Masington. Her blog offers a wealth of ideas for making your wedding ceremony unique. We traded some emails, and I really enjoyed her creativity, thoughts and inspiration. She’s obviously someone who loves her work. I’m happy to be part of her site.

I was recently interviewed for an article in The Jewish Week about contemporary trends in ketubah designs. Interviews are fun to do because they give you a chance to talk about the motivation behind your work. But they also happen so fast, it’s sometimes hard to make your point. For example, one of my quotes doesn’t exactly exactly capture what I was trying to say. The article says:

But when Sroka looked at a picture he had taken of an old rosebush, he found the relationship symbolism he was looking for. “It was this craggy, ugly, messy thing where the stems were massive and strong,” he said. “With a little bit of care, a little bit of attention, it still thrives and grows… a flower is something that’s temporary; you can’t take it for granted.”

What I really said was that my wife and I saw the ancient rose bush as a perfect symbol for marriage, a combination of strength and beauty. The strength of its ancient branches support and protect the plant, and keeps it alive. Yet in spite of its toughness, you cannot take it for granted. It requires constant attention to reach its full potential and bloom.