About Modern Ketubah and the artist
My wife and I signing the ketubah I made for our wedding.
My name is Daniel Sroka, the artist and owner of Modern Ketubah. I am an award-winning fine art photographer, with a 25-year career in visual design. Since 2003, it has been my honor to create over 1,400 ketubahs for couples around the world.
“A real person, not some nameless, faceless, corporate entity, designed our ketubah for us as a celebration of our special day!” — Sherrie and Ray
My first ketubah was for my own wedding
After we got engaged, my fiancée Cara and I decided that our ketubah had to meet two goals. First, we had to love the artwork. Being an artist myself, our ketubah had to be a work of art we'd want in our home, even if it wasn't a ketubah. Second, since we are an interfaith couple, the text and symbolism of the ketubah had to have meaning for both of us. We spent weeks searching, looking through hundreds of designs, but none felt right. Every ketubah seemed to rely on the same over-used imagery, such as stars of David, trees of life, and pomegranates. These symbols are used so often, for so many purposes, that they didn't hold any real meaning for us. We wanted something more special, more relevant to us and our marriage.
At this time, I was working on an art project photographing the garden of our new home. One day, as I was showing Cara my latest photographs of an old rose bush, we realized we had found the perfect art for our ketubah. This ancient rose bush — strong, tough, and protective yet capable of creating flowers of beauty and grace — said more about our values and thoughts on marriage than any of the common, traditional images. So I taught myself how to make our own ketubah, using my own artwork, and even writing the text. At the wedding, so many people fell in love with our ketubah, that I was inspired to create more ketubah designs based on my photography. Building on my experience as the original creative director for Yahoo!, I launched my own online business, and have been making ketubahs ever since.
About the art
All of the art used in Modern Ketubah comes from my career-long art project studying the natural world we can hold in our hands: such as flowers, leaves, seeds. These small pieces of nature are our primary way of seeing and understanding our place in the world. As an artist, I’m fascinated about how our connection with nature can help us understand and celebrate the most important moments in life.
What makes Modern Ketubah special
Modern Ketubah is an artist-owned and operated business, based out of my studio in northern New Jersey. Unlike large "warehouse" ketubah stores, when you buy your ketubah from me you are working directly with the artist who is creating your ketubah. My ketubahs blend my fine art photography of nature with beautiful, contemporary language. They are works of art, identical in quality to the fine art I sell to galleries and collectors. As a career artist with over 20 years of professional experience, my work reflects my commitment to originality, beauty, and quality.
My solo show in 2017, part of the New Jersey Emerging Artist Series, Monmouth Museum
Interfaith ketubahs designed by an interfaith artist
My ketubahs are for people who don't want an old-fashioned ketubah — they want one that fits with their modern sense of art, style, and spirituality. Since my wife and I are interfaith, all of my ketubahs are also designed to be perfect for interfaith and multicultural weddings. My goal is to create ketubot which any couple, from any background or situation can find meaningful and significant. I take great pride in making sure that every ketubah I make is a handmade work of art you'll be proud to display in your home.
What people say about Modern Ketubah
- “Our ketubah is so beautiful it literally makes me cry. The graceful imagery and eloquent words never fail to remind me how grateful I am. All I have to do is look at it and I remember the two of us holding hands under the gazebo that amazing day.”Brooke and Jez - London, UK
- “Please know that your artwork will always be a important part of our lives.”Jen and Brett
- “Our ketubah is truly stunning, gorgeous beyond our dreams.”Bernadette and Jennifer
- “The ketubah is as beautiful as the wedding day itself!”Peggy (mother of bride)
