The Museum “Memory of the Jewish People and the Holocaust in Ukraine,” the leading cultural-historical institution of the Dnipro Jewish Community, has recently enriched its collection with a rare and exceptionally valuable artifact—a Jewish marriage certificate issued in the United States in the second half of the 19th century.
This document, donated to the Museum by Rabbi Reuven Milman, has a complex and fascinating history that spans continents, countries, and regions. The document itself was issued in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, in 1886, but it was accidentally discovered more than a hundred years later among old furniture purchased in the state of Texas. The person who found this remarkable artifact listed it for sale online, where it was noticed by Meir (Pavel) Boliasny, a member of the Dnipro Jewish Community now residing in Europe. He contacted his spiritual mentor, Rabbi Reuven Milman—who played a significant role in his journey toward Judaism—and expressed his intention to acquire this interesting find and donate it to his home Jewish community.
Rabbi Reuven Milman has previously facilitated the enrichment of the museum’s holdings with rare and meaningful exhibits, assisting in the transfer of important artifacts to the Dnipro Jewish Museum. Notably, in November 2015, with his involvement, a unique wedding canopy (Chuppah) from the former Mohyliv-Podilskyi Ghetto was donated by the Doliar family, becoming a symbol of the unbreakable Jewish spirit and the commitment to uphold Jewish traditions even under inhuman conditions.
The current donation to the Museum is an official marriage record, dated September 14, 1886, corresponding to the 14th of Elul, 5646 according to the Jewish calendar. The certificate attests to the marriage of Morris Levy and Hettie Newhauser, members of the Jewish community of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The document is a printed form with handwritten entries and is certified by the signature of the community’s officiant, Morris Eisenberg, who confirmed that the marriage was conducted in accordance with the laws of the State of Louisiana and the rites performed at the Congregation “Gates of Prayer.” This congregation still exists today, though it is not affiliated with Orthodox streams of Judaism; therefore, the donated certificate is not a traditional Ketubah. Nevertheless, it remains a valuable historical source, reflecting the practices of recording marriages in North American Jewish communities during the latter half of the 19th century.
“The Museum ‘Memory of the Jewish People and the Holocaust in Ukraine’ expresses its deep gratitude to Meir (Pavel) Boliasny and Rabbi Reuven Milman for donating this interesting document to our museum, which will become an important part of our collection,” notes Museum Director Dr. Iryna Radchenko. “Authentic Jewish documents from the late 19th century allow historians to gain a deeper understanding of the diverse practices of Jewish communities. This story, connected to New Orleans, Texas, and now Dnipro, may inspire researchers and journalists to reconstruct the lost events of this family history.”
