In October of 2017, Anna Abramzon was living in the Bay Area when the Tubbs Fire broke out. At the time, it was the largest wildfire in California’s history, burning over 36,000 acres and killing 22 people.
It was unlucky timing; she had just moved to the area with her family from Houston, which they left after Hurricane Harvey struck that summer.
“It was a terrifying experience,” Abramzon said. “We evacuated our young kids from our home in kayaks as the water creeped towards our home. We were incredibly fortunate that the rain stopped when the flood was just inches from our front door. Many of our friends were not so lucky. Speaking to everyone whose home was flooded, I heard over and over that the most painful thing was losing precious family heirlooms.”
So when Abramzon, a ketubah artist, heard that the Tubbs Fire victims had lost everything, she sprang into action.
“I had the realization that as a ketubah artist, I am uniquely positioned to help in this one specific way,” she said. “I decided to make new ketubahs for free in hopes that selecting a new ketubah would help people take a step towards healing and rebuilding.”
Abramzon, who now lives in Beverly Hills, decided to dedicate a portion of her time to making new ketubahs for victims of all sorts of disasters, from fires to floods to mudslides and hurricanes throughout the United States. After the local fires, she is giving back to her fellow Angelenos by creating new ketubahs for them as well.
“I can’t replace people’s lost heirlooms, but by making them new ketubahs, I hope I can help them take a small step towards healing,” she said. “By signing a new ketubah, survivors can start creating new, joyful memories as they begin to rebuild their homes and their lives.”
Since putting out her notice that she was making free ketubahs, requests have been coming in. All of them are from evacuees from the Palisades fire.
“One lady told me that they lost their home of 50 years,” Abramzon said. “Another is about to have their 30-year wedding anniversary, and they lost their home and ketubah. In my experience doing this, it usually takes a little while for people to have bandwidth to think about a new ketubah, so I expect many more new ketubah requests in the coming weeks and as word gets out.”
Abramzon’s ketubahs feature colorful love trees, roses, pomegranates and stars of David. In addition to the ketubahs, she also makes baby naming and bar and bat mitzvah certificates, colorful wearable tallit, blessings for the home and challah boards and covers. She made her first ketubah almost 18 years ago, for her own wedding to Patricio, whom she met in Jerusalem.
She said she has always been deeply committed to the Jewish value of tikkun olam, and giving back when she can.
“When natural disasters strike, everyone wants to help those affected, but it is sometimes hard to know the best way to do that,” Abramzon said. “My family and I donate and volunteer in all the ways we can like everyone else, but having been close to several such disasters, I have found that this is the most impactful thing I can do.”
Going forward, as Abramzon fulfills requests from the fire victims, she is grateful to be part of rebuilding their lives.
“A ketubah is a spiritual foundation for the home a couple builds together,” she said. “Getting a new ketubah to replace the one people lost is a reaffirmation of their commitment to rebuild their life together. I am honored to be able to help make that possible.”
To request a new ketubah, visit Anna Abramzon’s website at annaabramzon.com/pages/free-replacement-ketubahs-for-victims-of-natural-disasters
