jacobs/jacob

Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"
1931-1969

Jacob Jacobs
(Jacob Yakubovitsh)

Born on 2 January 1890 in Risk, Hungary.

His father was a possessor.

He studied in cheders and in a school.

In 1904 he came to America, worked in a soda factory, delivered soda-water, later worked in a sheet factory, and finally studied tailoring.

In 1907 J. toured with a chorus in the vaudeville theatre, and on Sunday when then the vaudeville house was forbidden to play, he sang as a coupletist.

In 1908 he was engaged as a vaudeville actor, later he traveled about in vaudeville to read.

In 1911 J. also toured for the first time in a play: as "Zalmen" in Kobrin's "Yankel Boyle" at the Odeon Theatre.

In 1912 he took control of the directing at the Lyric Theatre in Brownsville, and after that partnered with Nathan Goldberg at the Lenox Theatre in Harlem.

From 1926-30 he was co-director at the National Theatre

In 1927-8 D. also co-directed at the Prospect Theatre in the Bronx.

In all the theatres D. also was active as an actor.

D. also composed couplets with some music.

D. is married to Betty Jacobs, daughter of the deceased Yiddish theatre director Treitler.

Specialty -- Character-comical.

M. E.

A. Frumkin -- Tsufiel teaters di hoyft tsrh, erkleren Goldberg and Jacobs, "Morning Journal", 2 December 1927.

Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 1, page 549.