"The rest left to Israel by boat"...

“My family are from the Baghdadi-Indian community of Mumbai (formerly, Bombay). The Baghdadi-Indian Jews came as merchants from Iraq, Persia, Aden and Syria as merchants wanting to make more money. At one point, one Baghdadi-Indian family alone, the Sassoons, dominated 70% of the entire world’s opium trade.

There was little to no antisemitism in India and the Jews were respected and embraced with open arms. India proved to be a safe haven, just like Israel. After the Farhud in Iraq in 1941, many Jews from Baghdad fled to India, as well as Israel to find safety and security.

My family members held good jobs in India and worked as shopkeepers and clothing business owners in the “rag trade”. Their language was a mix of Judeo-Arabic, Hindi and English and still is to this day.

My family members left India after the country gained its independence, with many of them coming to England because the culture and language was familiar, and the rest leaving to Israel by boat.”

Shared by Ciara S.