Rabbi Yehudah Jacobs (c. 1935 – April 27, 2020) was a

mashgiach ruchani A mashgiach ruchani ( he, משגיח רוחני; pl., ''mashgichim ruchani'im'') or mashgicha ruchani – sometimes mashgiach/mashgicha for short – is a spiritual supervisor or guide. He or she is usually a rabbi who has an official position wit ...

Beth Medrash Govoha Beth Medrash Govoha ( he, בית מדרש גבוה, Sephardi pronunciation: ''Beth Midrash Gavoha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Jewish Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' in Lakewood Township, New Jerse ...

, the largest yeshiva located outside of Israel and the second to largest

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...

in the world, second only to the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

Biography

Rabbi Jacobs was born about 1935 to R' Asher and Esther Jacobs in

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

. He learned in

Lakewood Township, New Jersey Lakewood Township is the most populous township in Ocean County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. A rapidly growing community as of the 2020 U.S. census, the township had a total population of 135,158 representing an increase of 41,415 (+45.5 ...

arriving in the late 1950s during its earlier years under the leadership of Rabbi Aharon Kotler. He married his first wife, Mrs. Ruthie, and settled in Lakewood together. He soon was appointed the

mashgiach A mashgiach ( he, משגיח, "supervisor"; , ''mashgichim'') or mashgicha (pl. ''mashgichot'') is a Jew who supervises the kashrut status of a kosher establishment. Mashgichim may supervise any type of food service establishment, including sl ...

alongside Rabbi

Nosson Meir Wachtfogel Nosson Meir Wachtfogel ( he, נתן מאיר וכטפוגל) (18 February 1910 in Kuliai, Lithuania – 21 November 1998 in Lakewood, New Jersey, USA), known as the Lakewood Mashgiach, was an Orthodox rabbi and long-time ''mashgiach ruchan ...

, 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 Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, where he stayed for a few years, all the while keeping up with the

Lakewood Yeshiva Beth Medrash Govoha ( he, בית מדרש גבוה, Sephardi pronunciation: ''Beth Midrash Gavoha''. lit: "High House of Learning"; also known as Lakewood Yeshiva or BMG) is a Haredi Jewish Lithuanian ''yeshiva'' in Lakewood Township, New Jerse ...

. He later returned to Lakewood. Rabbi Jacobs was known in

for the thousands of ''vaadim'' he gave to students, both before and after their marriages, where he gave advice on '' shidduchim'' and '' shalom bayis.'' Students sought after his advice in these areas. It was said that he was "the greatest and most legendary

shadchan The ''Shidduch'' ( he, שִׁדּוּךְ, pl. ''shidduchim'' , Aramaic ) is a system of matchmaking in which Jewish singles are introduced to one another in Orthodox Jewish communities for the purpose of marriage. The practice In the past and ...

" and that "he was the wisest of men." On April 27, 2020, after a month long battle with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

, Rabbi Jacobs died in Lakewood. He is survived by children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Yehudah 1940s births 2020 deaths Year of birth uncertain American Haredi rabbis American people of German-Jewish descent Mashgiach ruchani Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in New Jersey Rabbis from New Jersey Beth Medrash Govoha People from Lakewood Township, New Jersey People from Cologne