Sir Manasseh Meyer was a Baghdadi Jewish, naturalised British businessman and philanthropist who was both a leader and benefactor of the Jewish community in Singapore. Biography Born in Baghdad and educated in Calcutta, Manasseh Meyer came to Singapore in 1861 aged 15 and continued his English education in St Joseph's Institution. His maternal uncle Joseph Raphael Joshua had established himself in Singapore and was instrumental in bringing Manasseh and his brothers Rubin and Elias to Singapore. In 1864, he returned to Calcutta to work with his uncle in business as well as to learn literary Hebrew and Arabic. There he became a book keepers apprentice assisting his maternal uncle's business. In 1867 aged 21 he ventured to Burma, then beyond British colonial rule, to establish business of his own. An adventurer, in his early years, Meyer was to travel across Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, Europe, India, China and Japan. Meyer returned to Singapore in 1873 and founded his own import-export business known as Meyer Brothers involved in the opium trade. The firm grew to dominate all trade with India, linked by the two then flourishing Baghdadi Jewish communities of Calcutta and Singapore. Raphael Sassoon, born in Aleppo, and another Jewish pioneer was his partner in the firm and later also jointly a trustee of Maghain Avoth Synagogue on the island. Meyer would become a major tycoon, philanthropist and was in his lifetime the recognized leader of the Baghdadi Jewish community of Singapore. Having initially built his fortune in opium he expanded into real estate and further his fortune in property in booming colonial settlement of Singapore after the trade was ceased. He was to build the first block of flats in the city. Meyer would both build and have in his possession of many of the most iconic buildings of the city such as Adelphi Hotel in Coleman Street and Seaview Hotel in Katong, giving his name to the road on which it stands – Meyer Boulevard. Not only was he one of the richest men in Singapore, at one point he was believed to own three-fourths of the island. Having established himself as a tycoon Meyer than turned to philanthropy. He gave generously to charity within and without his community. His works helped lay a foundation the strength of Singapore in elite education. He began by starting the Manasseh Meyer Trust that benefited educational institutions and was one of the