The Sassoon Empire: Opium, Ambition, and the Mask of Morality The Sassoon family, Baghdadi Jewish merchants dubbed the “Rothschilds of the East,” transformed from refugees to global tycoons in the 19th century. Fleeing persecution, David Sassoon settled in Bombay in 1832, building a colossal empire through the opium trade, shipping, and textiles. Their sophisticated opium operations, leveraging a private fleet and British alliances, dominated 70% of the India-China market, amassing immense wealth. Yet, their trade fueled Chinese addiction and economic ruin, revealing a stark ethical ambivalence. While funding synagogues, schools, and hospitals, their philanthropy masked the moral cost of their profits. In Bombay, they scaled the social hierarchy, but their decline by the 1930s—due to poor decisions, asset losses, and aristocratic distractions—left only scattered descendants like James Sassoon. Their legacy, preserved in archives and landmarks, reflects a complex tale of ambit...