Rabbi Jacobs was born about 1935 to R' Asher and Esther Jacobs in Cologne, Germany.[1][2] He learned in Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood Township, New Jersey arriving in the late 1950s during its earlier years under the leadership of Rabbi Aharon Kotler.[6] He married his first wife, Mrs. Ruthie, and settled in Lakewood together. He soon was appointed the mashgiach of Beth Medrash Govoha alongside Rabbi Nosson Meir Wachtfogel,[7] a position he held for many years. After the passing of his first wife (c. 1985), Rabbi Jacobs married his second wife, Mrs. Esther. In 2010, he moved to Israel, where he stayed for a few years, all the while keeping up with the Lakewood Yeshiva. He later returned to Lakewood.
Rabbi Jacobs was known in Beth Medrash Govoha for the thousands of vaadim he gave to students,[8] both before and after their marriages, where he gave advice on shidduchim and shalom bayis. Students sought after his advice in these areas.[3] It was said that he was "the greatest and most legendary shadchan" and that "he was the wisest of men."[9]
On April 27, 2020, after a month long battle with COVID-19, Rabbi Jacobs died in Lakewood.[10][2] He is survived by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
^Mark Di Ionno. "How Lakewood became a worldwide destination for Orthodox Jews". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2019. It's Friday in Lakewood. A few thousand young men in black suits and wide-brimmed black hats are rushing toward Beth Medrash Gohova (BMG), the world's largest yeshiva outside of Israel.
^Steve Strunsky (April 16, 2019). "Lakewood yeshiva looks to use old golf course for new campus". New Jersey On-Line LLC. Retrieved April 19, 2019. Beth Medrash Gohova is said to be the world’s largest Jewish-affiliated university outside of Israel.