Flora Sassoon (18 November 1859 – 14 January 1936) was a Jewish Indian businesswoman, scholar,
Hebraist
A Hebraist is a specialist in Jewish, Hebrew and Hebraic studies. Specifically, British and German scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries who were involved in the study of Hebrew language and literature were commonly known by this designation, a ...
and philanthropist.
Tombstone at the Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel.">Jerusalem.html" ;"title="Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery in Jerusalem">Mount of Olives Jewish Cemetery in Jerusalem, Israel.
Early life
Flora Gubbay was born in 1859 in Mumbai">Bombay, India.Jewish Women's Archive: Flora Sassoon /ref>William D. Rubinstein, ''The Palgrave Dictionary of Anglo-Jewish History'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2011, p. 86 /ref> Her father was Ezekiel Abraham Gubbay (1824–1896), a trader and businessman whom had come to India from Baghdad, Iraq, and her mother was Aziza Sassoon (1839–1897). Her maternal grandfather was
Albert Abdullah David Sassoon
Sir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, 1st Baronet, (25 July 181824 October 1896) was a Baghdad-born businessman and philanthropist.
Biography
Life and career
Sassoon was born on 25 July 1818 in Baghdad, Ottoman Empire, into the Sassoon family o ...
(1818–1896). As a result, her maternal great-grandfather was
David Sassoon David Sassoon may refer to:
*David Sassoon (designer) (born 1932), British fashion designer
*David Sassoon (treasurer) (1792–1864), Iraqi-Jewish treasurer
*David Solomon Sassoon (1880–1942), Iraqi bibliophile
See also
*Sassoon family
*Albert A ...
(1792–1864), a leading trader of cotton and opium who served as the treasurer of Baghdad between 1817 and 1829, and her maternal great-grandmother was his first wife, Hannah Joseph (1792–1826).Irene Roth, ''Cecil Roth, historian without tears: a memoir'', Sepher-Hermon Press, 1982, p. 9 "> /ref>Isaac Landman, ''The Universal Jewish Encyclopedia ...: An Authoritative and Popular Presentation of Jews and Judaism Since the Earliest Times'', 1943, Volume 9, p. 375 ooks.google.co.uk/books?id=XZ4YAAAAIAAJ&q="Flora+Sassoon"+1859–1936&dq="Flora+Sassoon"+1859–1936&hl=en&sa=X&ei=-eBYUsijL4Kx0QWKkYC4Dg&ved=0CF0Q6AEwCA/ref>Richard Ayoun, Haïm Vidal Séphiha, ''Séfarades d'hier et d'aujourd'hui: 70 portraits'', L. Lévi, 1992, p. 13 /ref> She had five siblings (and half siblings with the first wife of her grand father).
Sassoon went to Catholic school and was also tutored privately from rabbis from Baghdad. By the age of seventeen, she spoke Hebrew, Aramaic,
Hindustani
Hindustani may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Hindustan (another name of India)
* Hindustani language, an Indo-Aryan language, whose two official norms are Hindi and Urdu
* Fiji Hindi, a variety of Eastern Hindi spoken in Fiji, and ...
, English, French and German. '' The Cairns Post'' described her as one of the world's most learned women.
Career and civic activities
Sassoon took over her husband's trading business in India, David Sassoon & Company, shortly after his death.Joan G. Roland, ''The Jewish Communities of India: Identity in a Colonial Era'', Piscataway, New Jersey: Transaction Publishers, 1998, p. 1 /ref>
An observant Orthodox Judaism, orthodox Jew, she always travelled with her own prayer quorum of ten Jewish male adults and was a strong supporter of the
Balfour Declaration
The Balfour Declaration was a public statement issued by the British government in 1917 during the First World War announcing its support for the establishment of a "national home for the Jewish people" in Palestine, then an Ottoman regio ...
and a staunch zionist. She also studied the Torah and wrote articles about Rashi, who were published in ''The Jewish Forum''. In 1924, she presided over the Annual Speech Day at the
Jews' College
The London School of Jewish Studies (commonly known as LSJS, originally founded as Jews' College) is a London-based organisation providing adult educational courses and training to the wider Jewish community. Since 2012 LSJS also offers rabbinic ...
, stressing the importance of a Jewish education. She often hosted Middle Eastern/Indian luncheons and dinners with Jewish cuisine, meticulously prepared following the
kashrut
(also or , ) is a set of dietary laws dealing with the foods that Jewish people are permitted to eat and how those foods must be prepared according to Jewish law. Food that may be consumed is deemed kosher ( in English, yi, כּשר), fro ...
standards; to guarantee that, she always travelled with her personal ritual slaughterer.Richard Ayoun, Haïm Vidal Sephiha. ''Sefardíes de ayer y de hoy: 71 retratos'', pp. 146.
Whilst living in India, Sassoon was a supporter of Waldemar Haffkine (1860–1930), who invented a vaccine against
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
, and encouraged reluctant Hindus and Muslims to take it. Once she moved to England, she often donated to Jews around the world who appealed to her for money in their hours of need.
Personal life and death
Sassoon married
Solomon David Sassoon
Solomon David Sassoon (1915–1985) was an educator, Rabbi, philanthropist, fundraiser, and collector of Jewish manuscripts.
Biography
Early life
Solomon David Sassoon was born in August 1915 in London.William D. Rubinstein, ''The Palgrave Dic ...
(1841–1894), the son of her great-grandfather
David Sassoon David Sassoon may refer to:
*David Sassoon (designer) (born 1932), British fashion designer
*David Sassoon (treasurer) (1792–1864), Iraqi-Jewish treasurer
*David Solomon Sassoon (1880–1942), Iraqi bibliophile
See also
*Sassoon family
*Albert A ...
(1792–1864) by his second wife, Farha Hyeem (1814–1886); so she married her own grand-uncle (her mother's paternal uncle).Orpa Slapak, ''The Jews of India: A Story of Three Communities'', UPNE, 1995, p. 3 /ref>Jewish Museum London: Bookplate of Solomon Sassoon /ref> They had three children:
* David Solomon Sassoon (1880–1942; had a son,
Solomon David Sassoon
Solomon David Sassoon (1915–1985) was an educator, Rabbi, philanthropist, fundraiser, and collector of Jewish manuscripts.
Biography
Early life
Solomon David Sassoon was born in August 1915 in London.William D. Rubinstein, ''The Palgrave Dic ...
(1915–1985), and grandson,
Isaac S.D. Sassoon
Isaac S. D. Sassoon (born 1946) is an Sephardic rabbi (hakham), scholar and educator. Hakham Sassoon, who is currently one of the leading scholars in the Sephardic world, was born into the Sassoon family of London and grew up speaking Judeo-Arabi ...
)
*
Rachel Sassoon Ezra
Rachel Sassoon Ezra (18 May 1877 – 25 January 1952), known as Lady Ezra, was an Indian philanthropist and community leader, a member of the Sassoon family, and wife of banker David Elias Ezra.
Early life
Rachel Sassoon was born in Bombay ...
(1877–1952, married
Sir David Ezra
Sir David Elias Ezra (1871-1947) (or simply Sir David Ezra) was a prominent member of the Baghdadi Jewish community in Calcutta, India.
Early life and family
David Elias Ezra was born in 1871,
*Mozelle Sassoon (1884–1921)
They lived in Bombay. After her husband's death, she moved to England. She and her children visited Baghdad for the Jewish High Holidays in 1910, and she was introduced by the wali of Baghdad Hussain Nadim Pasha, the Chief Rabbi
Ezra Dangoor
Hakham Ezra Reuben Dangoor (1848–1930) was the Chief Rabbi of Baghdad from 1923 to 1926, and the founder of the first publishing company in Baghdad.
Early life
Ezra Sasson ben Reuven Dangoor was born in 1848 in Baghdad, Iraq. He was educated ...
.The Sassoon's Return Visit to Baghdad /ref> There were correspondences in writing between the family and Hakham Joseph Hayyim, the grand sage of Baghdad, revered for his piety and known also by his celebrated work,
Ben Ish Hai
Yosef Hayim (1 September 1835 – 30 August 1909) ( Iraqi Hebrew: Yoseph Ḥayyim; he, יוסף חיים מבגדאד) was a leading Baghdadi ''hakham'' (Sephardi rabbi), authority on ''halakha'' (Jewish law), and Master Kabbalist. He is best ...
. The latter died in 1909 and could not have been present for the Sassoon family visit in 1910.
Sassoon died in 1936 at her mansion in London.
