My class recently visited “The Sassoons,” an exhibit at the Jewish Museum in Manhattan. Through family photographs, documents, artwork, and textiles, we observed the history and legacy of this prominent and wealthy Jewish family of Iraqi origin. They were known as the “Rothschilds of the East.” It is a family story told through four generations of traders, socialites, soldiers and hedonists — how they rose in prominence, their philanthropic and cultural contributions, and their impact on Jewish life and identity.

Like many Jews, prominent or not, the Sassoons were expelled. The first generation, David and Hannah Sassoon, left Baghdad in 1830. Following a short stay in neighboring Persia, they settled in Mumbai, India. Here, they aligned their fate with the British Empire. They and their descendants, wanting to be accepted by the British aristocracy, began to copy them by showcasing their wealth. They were determined to buy status and happiness with money. And they succeeded. But at what cost?

Visiting the museum just a few days before Passover, it occurred to me that the four generations of the Sassoon family could stand as an allegory for the four children of the Haggadah. Four generations of this family were swept away from Judaism until they had lost all vocabulary and didn’t know how to ask. At each entry point into British society, another piece of identity was shed and reshaped.

The first generation is the generation of migration, depicted as the wise child, who asks, “What are these testimonies, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?” David Sassoon, the first generation to leave Baghdad, is shown still keeping the tradition. In his portrait, he is traditional garb, and we learn that he never learned to speak English. In the middle of the room are prominently displayed works of Jewish ceremonial art. Among them, two beautiful large Sephardi Torahs with finials from the mid-1700s.

The second generation is more integrated, beginning to move away from tradition and practice their faith much less. They did not share the same sense of tradition and community. In the Haggadah, the “wicked” child asks, “What does this service mean for you?” Use of the word “you” makes it clear that the questioning child has withdrawn from the community. Still, sacred manuscripts are displayed alongside other items. What is glaringly missing is the Codex Sassoon—the earliest and most complete Hebrew Bible. It was purchased by the family in the late 1880’s and was sold by a later generation. (The Codex Sassoon is set to be auctioned at Sotheby’s next month for an estimated $50M.)

The third generation is about adaptation. The third child in the Haggadah, who is depicted as the “simple” child asks, “What is this?” referring to the ritual of the Seder. The third generation is no longer informed in the tradition. Names like David and Rachel, Farha and Abdullah, become Arthur, Louise, Siegfried and Philip. Culture becomes more European, and intermarriage more common Some members of the family even convert to Christianity.

In the fourth generation, the Sassoons are fully assimilated. They no longer have a Jewish name. The fourth child depicted in the Haggadah is not even quoted. It is the child that “does not know how to ask” because of the lack of tradition. When they moved from the Ottoman Muslim world to the British Christian world, they started gathering British art and portraits, none with a connection to their tradition. No original vocabulary is heard. What began as a pragmatic alliance with British imperialism developed into a deeply felt identification and patriotic loyalty to British culture. Eventually, the Sassoons did not know they were Jews from Baghdad.

The exhibition is not overly large, but it is telling. From the earliest migration, the Sassoons seemed on a trajectory to assimilate. In the end, the family of international merchants traded Judaism for status within the British aristocracy. Whether it was a fair trade, only history can tell.

Happy month of Iyar…

 

—Rabbi Gadi Capela