Jael Silliman
07 Jewish business in Calcutta
ABOUT
This exhibit serves as a representation of the significant economic contribution made by the Jewish community to the city of Calcutta
The Jewish community was primarily a business community. There were Jewish industrialists like the Ezra family, Jewish landlords as well as many in medium and small scale businesses. Some of the businesses are featured and notes on large, medium and small businesses are provided.
Some of the businesses were among the Calcutta’s biggest and most flourishing, such as the BN Elias’ enterprises or the National Tobacco Company. Among them, there were numerous small companies such as bakeries, hair studios, import-export companies or tea-coffee stores. Their prosperity was built on hard-working ethos of the Jewish commmunity.
To see a film on this section visit our Film Gallery or click here.
Sandeep Roy, Calcutta-based NPR correspondent gives a taste of Nahoum’s Bakery – the city’s last Jewish-owned business in his radio dispatch. Listen here
Among remarkable persons are artists such as Gerry Judah and Eddie Joseph rose to be the best in the world in their respective fields: sculpture & design and magic. Businessmen such as BN Elias and Emmanuel Belilios built vast trading and industrial empires and amassed great wealth.
To sum up, Calcutta’s Jewish community gave the world plenty of exceptionally talented and hard-working people who left many marks around the world. It is important to preserve the memory about them and display their stories.
There were also many women pioneers who have been represented in another section, as are those who were in the media.
Jewish Tradespeople in Calcutta By Flower Silliman
There were many small time businesses (family owned) in Calcutta in the twentieth century. The New Market (Stewart Hogg market) was newly opened and one of the first shops was Nahoum Confectioners. They had a small shop near the flower range to start, and later moved to their present premises which is by far the largest premises in the present New Market ( 2018)
Other shops owned by Jews in the market complex include British Confectioners, owned by Sassoon Judah, in rivalry to Nahoums and located in the parallel lane, now a fabric store. They opened and closed in the 1940s. Israel Tobacconist, owned by the Elias family, was at the far end at the end of the bookshops near V. Gulab (watchmakers). There was also Voile Arcade owned by a Jewish family that sold fancy fabrics for dresses and frocks worn by Western women.
On Lindsay Street, opposite the market was a shop called Daw Sen, owned by the Mordechai family. They made pickles, chutneys and condiments and also exported them to the US.
Ar right angles to Daw Sen and closer to the clock tower was a shop owned by the Bekhor family who lived in Chowringhee Lane. They sold coffee and tea by weight. In those days coffee and tea was not packaged and branded as it is today.
Further down the street ib Bertram Street was a shop called Blue Bird stores owned by the Kelly Family who lived on Free School Street.
Further down on Free School Street was a radio shop owned by the Ezekiel family. There was also a motor mechanic cum garage called Esmond’s Garage.
On Park Street was Margaret Walker hair dressing saloon owned by Florence and Moses Judah. Above the shop on the first floor of Steven Court lived Maggie Meyer who ran a dress-making business and also gave classes in sewing and cutting. There were other Jewish women who called themselves dressmakers who often made the trousseaus and bridal dresses for the community. They include on Zon on Park Street and Zeeka Modiste on Kydd Street.
Jewish families also owned real estate. While the Ezra’s and Sassoon’s owned properties all over Calcutta, many Jews owned a few properties that they rented out to earn their living. The Elias family of Loudon Street had a bungalow in Alipore that they rented out to companies, and the Silas family owned 26 Central Avenue, called Silas Mansion. Palace Court, on Kydd Street was owned by the Jacob family and the Nahoums owned ( and still own) a building on Hartford Lane. The Gubbay family owned the building at the corner of Free School Street and Sudder Street where the small prayer hall, Shaare Rasoon, was located.
The Curlender family owned a bone mill in Calcutta and traded with phototgraphic film and bone meal for fertilizer.
This article is to show that apart from the Sassoons, Elias’s and Ezra families, who were the industrialists among the Calcutta Jews, who also employed many Jews in their enterprises, there was also a thriving middle and upper-middle class strata of the community who traded at a different scale in the City.
The Tea and Coffee Trading Company by Solomon Bekhor
The shop was called Tea & Coffee Trading Company, 15H Lindsay Street.
The Proprietor was J.S.Bekhor. The shop was more of an institution, our coffee and tea was second to none and our customers would not go anywhere else. Amongst our customers were Sir David & Lady Ezra, I remember they had a Rolls Royce and a Sikh driver, in the days of the Raj, my father knew virtually every British, and Continental customer, my father spoke fluent French as he was educated at a French University in Bagdad. We were often invited to French warships for tea as the Captains often visited our shop. We supplied coffee & tea to all the big Hotels, like Firpo, Grand Hotel, Great Eastern Hotel and even the Bata Shoe Co. at Bataganar.
My father knew the Commissioner of Police and they lived next door to Sir David Ezra and his wife started The Girl Guide Movement and my three sisters, Bertine, Seemah and Rachel joined the movement.
Another interesting story, we for about 2 years were living above our shop at 15A Lindsay Mansions, the actress Merle Oberon lived in the same flat before us. There is a book called Merle by Charles Higham and Roy Moseley and on pg 15 you will see that she lived in 15A Lindsay Mansions. My father and mother came to Calcutta in the early 20s when the shop was opened and it closed about 1958.
Other Jewish Businesses by Sano Twena
NOTES BY SANOO TWENA
E. Meyer & Co.
Legend has it he and his brother Menasseh, later of Singapore, started as hawkers in the Strand. Both became multi-millionaires. I believe that Elias made his fortune in a speculation on the revaluation of the rupee in 1917. Menasseh had a multi storey property in Lower Chitpore Road, and before I left Calcutta in the 1960’s, I saw, looking from Lalbazaar/Bowbazaar corner, his name inscribed in big letters at the top. After his death, E.Meyer’s widow established the Talmud Torah schooI in his memory.
Brokers:
D.A.Silliman;
A.J. Shellim & Co;
Joe Benjamin was a partner in a firm of gunny brokers
Albert David and Co owned by Bertie Judah (large pharmaceutical Company)
Hotel:
I believe that there was a Jewish interest in the Great Eastern Hotel of a man named Josephson, who may also have been a jeweller of standing. My mother’s diamond engagement ring was purchased from him.
Professionals:
Dr Judah, Ear Nose & Throat Specialist. He was the son-in-law of Elias Meyer.
Victor Moses & Co. Solicitors, of 6 Old Post Office Street; he died some years ago, but the firm is more flourishing than what it was in his time.
I believe that that there was at one time a Finance member of the Viceroy’s Council named Ralph Gubbay, who may have been from Calcutta. Legend has it that there was a change in a Finance Bill, made after a telephone discussion that took place between Sir Victor and Ralph Gubbay, resulting in its amendment.
Hairdressing Salon :
Margaret Walkers was a hair dressing salon owned by Florence and Moses Judah. The establishment was bought from a British woman. Florence trained under her and then bought the business when she married. It was located on the ground floor of Stephen’s Court on Park Street.
Printers:
My grandfather, Isaac Ezekiel Jacob established Mercantile Stationers Syndicate.
My great grandfather, Hacham Shelomo Twena, and his son Moshe, purchased the Hebrew Press owned by E.M.D.Cohen the long serving Hazan of the Maghen David. Apart from publishing the volumes of the commentaries on the Tanach, he published a weekly, called the Maggid Mesharim in the Judeo-Arabic spoken by the congregation, from 1890-1901.
Shum Howard, Aaron Harazi, Studio Nash, worked at Harrison Trading owned by Aaron Morris (Shumah).
Jewish refugees, doctors who practised in Calcutta: Dr. Lantos – a skin specialist, Dr. Neu, and Dr. Handel.
Pianists Lizel Starey, Lizel Braun.
European Jewish Businesses
Jewish-owned businesses by Jews outside the Baghdadi Community
by Charles Solomon
I used to work in M.Walters & Co. (owned by Max Wecksler, a Lithuanian Jewish watchmaker whose wife was Sarah nee Ferris) just beside Boseck from 1952 to 1955. A Lithuanian Jew, Fred Parry, would sit there and he was an authority on precious stones and would value them for a fee. Parry was also the leading trader of valuable fine art paintings before World War 2 but his huge and valuable collection that was stored during the war in a warehouse belonging to the Grand Hotel was attacked by white ants and destroyed.
Max Wecksler was an outstanding Swiss trained watchmaker and inventor. He was a world’s first to design the stainless steel watch, have it produced in his name by Pierce in Switzerland and sold them in his shop in Calcutta. He invented plastic protectors for wristwatches against sweat that had a big sale in Calcutta.
Next to Bekhor’s Coffee business stood the Hannahgraph Studio, a photographic studio owned by Pinhas Hallen, a white Jew from Cochin. The Herman family who are buried on the far left of the Jewish Cemetery in Narkeldanga, were wealthy Jews from Russia. Rachel Herman’s Calcutta home was left to Dr B.C.Roy and became the headquarters of the Congress Party in Calcutta. Rachel was very observant and travelled with a Schohet employed full time by her. It was she that financed Bertie Judah to start a Pharmaceutical company Albert David in Calcutta. She was the patron of Dr B.C.Roy the first Chief Minister of West Bengal, helped pay for his education as he was like a son to her.
The only Old Age Home for Jews in Calcutta was a German Ashkenazi one but when World War 1 started it was shut down.
Small Businesses
While we had our very wealthy Jews who were industrial giants and large property owners, rich merchants and traders, there were also many small and medium size businesses in Calcutta that were owned and run by members of our community. There were always also many poor Jews in Calcutta who worked in Jewish-owned enterprises or were supported by Jewish charities. But predominantly the Jewish community was a middle-class community.
When one thinks of family-run businesses, the first one that comes to mind is Nahoum’s in the New Market. Nahoum’s is virtually a Calcutta institution, renowned all over the world for its Christmas cake. Nahoum’s started with Nahoum Israel Mordecai, who came from Iraq in 1870, going door-to-door with a huge tin box of Middle Eastern Jewish confections. Mr. Nahoum baked baklava, made plaited cheese, and sold other specialties like pista mulfoof. He moved to a small shop near the flower stalls in the front of the New Market in 1902, and then to its present location in 1916. This very large shop is the largest in the New Market. Nahoum’s has not changed its décor over the years. Its zinc panelled decorated ceiling imported from Italy, the showcases made of teak, and the classic wooden cash register is from Oregon, USA give the shop its distinct, if now somewhat antique and beaten look. The old world charm, the warmth of Norman who ran the shopfrom 1948 – 1999, Solo who worked along his elder brother, and the late David Nahoum made the shop a favorite social space for all communities to inter mingle and enjoy their time in the New Market.
There were other Jewish owned shops in the New Market: British Confectioners was another confectionary that was owned by the Judah family. It used to be on line with and very close to the Nahoum’s shop. It sold many of the same items as Nahoum’s did.
A Tobacconist shop stood at the corner of the New Market. It sold cigarettes, pipes, tobaccos, cigars and lighters. In those days people rolled their own cigarettes and pipe smoking was in fashion. The cigarettes they rolled were pure tobacco and had little or no nicotine. The shop was located just past the bookshops, and it was owned by the Elias family. There were several brothers who ran it with their father. This family moved to England.
David Elias, one of the elder brothers of the family, became one of the leaders of the Calcutta Jewish community in London.
There was also a cloth shop called Voile Arcade which was Jewish owned. The fabrics, like all fabrics in that era, were mostly imported from England. India was not allowed to make its own fine quality fabrics. The best shop in the Newmarket for dressmakers requirements such as threads, ribbons, embroideries was owned and served by a Jew named Abraham David.
Ernest David, a photographer, had his photograph shop in the New Market before the War. During the war he was interned in a Japanese concentration camp. When he returned he changed his name to Randall Adair and was a changed man. He gave away all his possessions and only took exclusive photographs.
On the right hand side when one faces the New Market, near the clock tower, there was a small shop that sold various kinds of loose tea and fresh coffee that was owned by the Bechor family.
On Lindsay Street, Daw Sen & Company made and sold pickles and chutneys of all kinds. Like the other shops in that area, it was a very spacious-not like the very small shops that line Lindsay Street today. Daw Sen was owned by the Mordecai family. They also exported their pickles overseas. Joe Solomon had a Beautiful Body and Weight Lifting Business on Lindsay Street.
Modern Radio on Free School Street near the Sudder Street Junction belonged to the Ezekiel family.
Park Mansions, not far from the Park Street crossing, was home to a tailoring shop owned by Mr. Abner called Regal Embroideries. Its specialty was richly embroidered silk and zari work. He made elaborate prayer caps (kippas), and embroidered bags for Tallitim (prayer shawls.) Esquire Tailoring did good business in making uniforms for offices like for peons, drivers. It belonged to David Cohen, a refugee from Rangoon in 1942, from his home in Sudder Street.
On Park Street there was Margaret Walker’s which was a famous hair dressing salon that was owned and run by Florence and Moses Judah. In its premises today is One Step Up. Florence had trained to be a hairdresser with the original owner, a Jewess from London by the name of Braham. She returned to London after the war she sold it to Jack Ferris and then it passed to the Judas who bought the company in 1948/49. The up-scale salon primarily catered to upper class Jewish, Paris, Anglo-Indian, expatriates and Indian clientele who were interested in western hair styles.
Maggie Meyers was trained in Paris as a dressmaker. When she returned to India she started her own dressmaking outfit in her home in Stephen Court. She catered to wealthy Anglo Indians, Jews, Armenians and was known for making elaborate wedding dresses and trousseaux. She also taught dress-making till the 1990’s. Maggie’s elder sister was married to the Nawab of Murshidabad and her middle sister Maureen ran a nursery school on Royd Street.
Jews also owned printing presses. Elite Press was owned by he Ezra family in Dacres Lane and there was another press that printed Race books and Turf News that was owned by the Einy family.
Saleh Baquall (from Arabic, meaning green-grocer) Abraham earned his living as a small trader, importing and exporting fez caps, Italian felt hats, piece-goods and spices which took him from Basra to Shanghai. He settled in Calcutta with a wife from Basra, Farha Musri. Saleh tried to introduce the Chinese rickshaw to Calcutta, but it failed to catch on. He sold the business within two years and started a taxi cab business with another Bagdadi Jew. The rickshaw came into use in Calcutta after 1914.
Large Scale Enterprises
LARGE SCALE BUSINESSES AND COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES:
This is in no way a complete list of businesses that the Jews were involved in, but it does list some of the major businesses they owned.
OPIUM TRADE:
Jewish merchants in the first part of the 19th century made their fortunes in the buying and shipping of opium. The large Jewish merchants in this enterprise included:
David Sassoon
Elia Shalome Gubbay
Elia David Joseph Ezra
Meyer Brothers ( also very successful business men in Singapore)
Saleh Manasseh (also successful in Singapore).
Aaron Abraham Cohen (business in Moulmein, Burma and flourished )
Jewish firms, with the decline of the opium trade, invested in cotton and jute as export staples, and in the cultivation, shipping and sale of indigo. The Jewish traders also manufactured and exported silk, cotton and woolen products.
REAL ESTATE:
The Jews were very involved in real estate business and Sir David Ezra became, by the latter part of the 19th century one of the leading property owners of the City.
LARGE BUSINESS HOUSES/FAMILIES:
David Sassoon who also owned the Port Canning and Land Improvement Company that was worked by 15,000 agriculturists which sent food to Western India including the employees of the Sassoon mills in Bombay.
M. A Sassoon
Curlenders
Raphael Belillos (made Hongkong their home in 1861)
B.N.Elias and Company
B.N.Elias owned many businesses. These included: National Tobacco including a grading station in Guntur; Agarpara Jute Mills; Great Insurance Pyramid Company, Raniganj Coal Field, as well as real estate and engineering concerns. Oriental Electric and Engineering Company and Alpine Dairy also belonged to them.
Nissim Elias trained his son younger son Stafford Elias to supervise the jute mill. Ben, the elder one, worked in the tobacco factory.
During the 40’s B.N.Elias hired several European refugees who worked in their various enterprises and brought new skills with them. For example, in order to supply and preserve more food rations for the British army Mr. Braun Barnett designed and they built a dehydration plant for potato and other vegetables that was very successful. He also established a large electrically powered saw mill to make cigarette cases for the growing output of cigarettes. During the war years several other industries were added such as metal buttons for army uniforms and lamps. Mr. Miklos Rayk, a refugee from Hungary organized looms for the webbing of parachute harnesses. Several of their wives find employment too as governesses and housekeepers for the wealthier Jewish families. Thus there was a colony of about 80 Jewish and other European refugees living and working in Agrapara through the war years.
