Jacob Marcus

Who was Jacob Marcus?

Jacob Marcus, also called R. Jakob, was a German-Swedish businessman and one of the pioneers in the history of Sweden's Jewish population, which began to take root around the turn of the 18th-19th centuries.

Marcus was probably born in 1749 in Schwaan, Germany. Marcus's considerable impact on the history of Norrköping and his significance to immigration and advancement have been pointed out in several publications. He had that city's first synagogue built, which opened in 1796 for the increasing community centered on its congregation.

That and his general benefit to Sweden, as a merchant especially privileged by King Gustav III, and his position as an East Gothland property owner and community leader, have been recorded in published biographical articles.

Marcus died 13 March 1819 in Norrköping, Sweden.