Jews have always been an integral part of Mumbai’s cultural and population make-up. History suggests that in the late 1940’s the Jewish population of Bombay reached nearly 30,000 people. The city’s Jews mainly comprised of two very distinct groups, the Bene Israel and the Baghdadi. The Bene Israel (Sons of Israel) traces their history in Mumbai over 1600 years ago. The Baghdadi Jews on the other hand settled in the city in the 1800’s as traders.
Once settled, these two groups strived for the betterment of the community and created architectural masterpieces that are now an umbilical part of Mumbai’s Jewish history.
Let’s Say Shalom pays homage to the two-thousand-year-old Jewish heritage in Mumbai. The tour includes a visit to two beautiful synagogues, the docks, Jewish Library, and the Mumbai’s first and most celebrated Museum called Bhaudaji Lad, all built with donations by the Sassoon Family (famously called the Rothchild’s of the East).
This tour ends with a visit to the Jewish cemetery that has the Sassoon family graves and finally the Chabad House (based on availability) – the same that was attacked during the infamous terrorist siege of Mumbai.