Career
Born in Lemburg (Lviv), Galitsia, he joined a Yiddish theater chorus at the age of 17 and after singing in Lemburg and Rumania for a short time, he became a soloist and then starred in Professor Hurvitz"s operetta Jacob and Esau. Yakov"s voice deteriorated due to lung disease and he became a character actor. He played both comedies and serious dramas.
He died of lung disease in Lemburg.