Engagement: Requesting the woman's hand in accordance with her desire

Name of speaker: 
Mazal (Saʿida) Levi (Noah)
Participants in the conversation: 
Sigalit ʿAmrousi
Gender of speaker: 
Female
Occupation of speaker: 
Housewife
Age of speaker at time of recording: 
86
Year of immigration: 
1948
Speaker's country of origin: 
Speaker's community of origin: 
Language: 
Conversation topics: 
Documentation: 
Yehudit Henshke
Year of recording: 
2021
Translator: 
Nathan Himmelfarb

Translation: 

The groom would come. He and his father and his mother (would) come and bring her something to dress her (in). Yes. And they would read…and take their path and go. And at the girl’s house…yes, he would request (propose to) her. Yes, he (would) bring…he (would) come to her house. They (the family of the groom) would come to their house, the bride’s house. He (would) request (propose to) her and (would) tell her…his mother and his father (would say) “we want your daughter.” She (would) say…he (the bride’s father) would say “I want to ask her.” If she (would) want to take…I mean, (if) she agreed…I mean, okay. If she didn’t agree, it wouldn’t happen. It wouldn’t happen, of course. Before they (would) get married, (one) week (prior), they (would) go and do the ketuba (Jewish marriage contract). But at the wedding, they would also write (sign the ketuba), so that he (would be) unable to leave her. (It was) like a marriage. When he (would) go to request (propose to) her, they (would) write (sign the ketuba). So that he neither he would be able to leave her, nor would she (be able to) leave him. If she (were to) leave him, or he (would) leave her, it (would be) as though he were giving her a get (Jewish divorce). Yes. Like a get.

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