The immigration of Arabic-speaking Jews from Baghdad and Basra, as well as other parts of the Ottoman Empire, transformed the mosaic of Jewish communities in India toward the end of the eighteenth century. These arrivals, who were supplemented by Jews from Persia and Afghanistan, became known as Iraqi or Baghdadi Jews. They developed a massive trading diaspora spanning from Europe to Asia after being encouraged by the British to migrate to India to promote commerce eastward. The Baghdadis originally established themselves in India in Surat, followed by Calcutta and Bombay. The Sassoons, Ezras, Aliases, Gubbays, Kadouries, and Abrahams were prominent families who became wealthy merchants or functioned as intermediaries for the huge cotton, jute, and tobacco processing facilities. They employed thousands of workers in the mills as pioneers in the textile industry, particularly Jews. Indeed, the Sassoons’ mills and other facilities were a huge draw for Jews from Baghdad and other parts of the Ottoman Empire to come to Bombay.
Source: https://www.cafedissensus.com/2014/12/31/the-sojourn-of-the-baghdadi-jews-of-india/
