Benno Jacob was born in Breslau in 1862 and attended the Jewish Theological Seminary there as well as university. During his student days he co-founded the Jewish fraternity Viadrina. He served as rabbi in Göttingen from 1891 to 1906 and Dortmund from 1906 until his retirement in 1929. In 1932 he moved to Hamburg to continue his scholarly work and fled to London in 1939. He was known for his interpretations of the Bible, particularly the Torah and published extensively on the subject. He died in London in 1945.
From the guide to the Benno Jacob Collection, 1898-1975, (Leo Baeck Institute Archives)