Jews from Arab countries and Iran arrived in India in the late 18th century. Baghdadi Jews are their collective name. Baghdadi Jews came to India for religious persecution and business reasons in their own countries. Before they came to India, most of them were traders and businesspeople. They first settled in Surat (Gujarat), then Bombay and Calcutta.
Calcutta’s Baghdadi population peaked in the early 1940s at around 7000 people. In India, the Baghdadi Jewish community was unique. Its residents followed Iraqi or Syrian traditions and customs while adopting an English way of life and education.
Calcutta now has less than 50 Jews, despite the presence of three huge synagogues, two prayer halls, two schools, and a cemetery, as well as a few beautiful residences and street names.
Source: http://www.jewswerehere.com/asia/southasia/india/baghdadi-jews/
