Category Archives: Sassoon

The Sassoons: The Great Global Merchants and the Making of an Empire

Posted on November 19, 2022 by Luke Ford

Here are some highlights from this 2022 book by Oxford scholar Joseph Sassoon: * The Sassoons traded with members of seemingly every religion and sect around the globe, traveling extensively not only for business but to explore new horizons, and … Continue reading →

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Ben Ish Chai – 19th Century Baghdad Rep For Biggest Drug Dealing Family In History

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Luke Ford

The Sassoon family profited from the opium trade in the 19th Century more than any drug dealer in history. They made Pablo Escobar look like a pisher. The Ben Ish Chai (R. Yosef Hayyim) was the Sassoon family’s representative in … Continue reading →

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The greatest drug kingpin in history was an Orthodox Jew who attributed his business success to his careful observance of Jewish law

Posted on July 11, 2015 by Luke Ford

According to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia entry on David Sassoon: “his business, which included a monopoly of the opium-trade, extended as far as Yokohama, Nagasaki, and other cities in Japan. Sassoon attributed his great success to the employment of his … Continue reading →

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