The history of the Jews in Burma - interview with Sammy Samuels

Myanmar Oral History Project - life stories

The family of U Aung Soe Lwin (or who is more commonly known as Sammy Samuels) has had a long presence in Myanmar. His grandfather arrived from Iraq in the 1890s and the family has lived in Yangon since that time. Sammy's father, Moses, died in 2015 and the family is now headed by Sammy. It is thought the first Jew of record in Burma was Solomon Gabirol who in 1755 was a commissar to King Alaungpaya. During the British colonial times the Jewish population grew to around 3000, but since then has continued to shrink, such that now there are only a handful of Jews with Myanmar citizenship.
Sammy's family has had a close relationship with the sole synagogue in the country over three generations - see episode photo. The cost of upkeep of the synagogue has largely fallen to Sammy's family business, Myanmar Shalom (https://www.myanmarshalom.com/).
With thanks to Julie L. Kessler (https://www.vagabondlawyer.com/) who introduced me to Sammy and for the photo of the synagogue used for this podcast.

Please feel free to contact me with suggested interviewees at [e-mail].
Thank you for listening .
Peter Church