Baghdadi Jews

The Baghdadis were the earliest Jewish immigrants to Mumbai; they came here from Surat, a Mughal trading post then in decline. Most of the early migrants were merchants involved in trade with Persian Gulf ports. The Baghdadi Jews visited Bombay as traders from the 1750s onwards and are considered the newer entrants to the city. Some of them eventually settled down in Bombay and Poona, among them Sir David Sassoon.

According to one account the origin of Baghdadi Jews in Bombay dates back to 1730 when one Joseph Semah moved from Surat to Bombay.

The dawn of Indian independence triggered a migration of the community out of Bombay to London, Israel and Australia.