The Sassoons: from Baghdad to Britain

7pm-8.15pm, £12.5, in building, Tuesday 9 June 2026 // The Sassoon story begins in the 19th century. Born in Baghdad, the extraordinary entrepreneur David Sassoon made his fortune in India and set up satelllite businesses all over the Far East. But his descendants craved acceptance in British society. Edward and his son Philip Sassoon became MPs, Siegfried Sassoon a famous poet. Hannah Gubbay was a socialite and influential collector and Rachel Beer became the first female editor of the Observer and the Sunday Times. Today, only one branch of the family remains Jewish: the descendants of Flora Sassoon and her son, David Solomon Sassoon, whose famous Judaica library was housed at his hoime in Letchworth . In this Harif lecture for Jewish Culture Month, Lyn Julius will describe some of these colourful characters and consider their legacy.