David Sassoon   Synagogue Within his 3 decades from 1832, David Sassoon left behind a legacy of business, architecture, community leadership, and philanthropy, mostly in Mumbai and Pune. In 1864, in Pune he had taken his last breath. From Baghdad to Bombay David Sassoon (1792 -1864) was one of the 7 sons of Sheikh Sassoon, a Jewish merchant and community leader. The Sassoons were among the elite, claiming descent from King David. In his early years, David worked in the family house and soon demonstrated an extraordinary talent for business. During a period of intense oppression under Daud Pasha in Baghdad, Sassoon acted as an unofficial leader for the Jewish community.  After being imprisoned and released on the condition of exile, he moved first to Basra, then to Bushehr in Persia, where he worked as a middleman for merchants trading between India and the Middle East. The Call to India A fortune teller predicted and even suggested Sassoon to shift in India after re...