Israel mourns death of Mumbai Jewish leader Solomon Sopher

Israeli ambassador to India Reuven Azar said on Tuesday morning that he was saddened to hear about the passing of Solomon Sopher, chairman of Mumbai’s Baghdadi Jewish community.

“As a leader of the community and head of the Sir Jacob Sassoon trusts, he helped care for its historic synagogues and sustain its communal life. His contribution to India’s Jewish heritage will be remembered for generations. May his memory be a blessing,” Azar wrote on X.

The Baghdadi Jewish community in Mumbai descends from merchants and refugees who began arriving in the Indian city in the late 18th century from Iraq and other parts of the Middle East.

These Jewish immigrants were drawn by the city’s expanding maritime trade under British colonial rule. A major leader and supporter of this community was the Sassoon family, which invested heavily in Mumbai in the 19th century, establishing schools and synagogues in the city (formerly Bombay) and constructing the first wet dock in western India.

Members of that family also established the Sir Jacob Sassoon Synagogues & Allied Trusts, a charity network devoted to the welfare of Mumbai’s Jewish community. Today it manages the Knesset Eliyahoo synagogues in Mumbai, as well as the Magen David and the Ohel David synagogues in Pune, India.

Yaniv Revach, consul general of Israel to Midwest India, also expressed his sorrow over the passing of Sopher.

“A proud Indian Jew and a devoted guardian of Jewish heritage, Solomon dedicated his life to preserving historic synagogues, supporting education and charitable institutions, and strengthening the Jewish community’s deep roots in India,” Revach said in a statement. He recounted that Sopher was honored in 2019 with the World Jewish Congress Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his outstanding contribution to Jewish life and heritage in India.

“His dedication, generosity and leadership leave behind a remarkable legacy, not only for the Jewish community but for Mumbai and India as a whole. Our heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and the entire Jewish community,” Revach added.

Fewer than 4,000 Jews live in Mumbai today, after most members of the Baghdadi community emigrated to Israel and Commonwealth nations, as well as to the United States, after India gained its independence in 1947.

Before this departure, Mumbai’s Jewish community peaked at approximately 30,000 members.