He was born in Berezhany, western Ukraine (then mainly Polish speaking town with mixed Polish, Ukrainian and Jewish population in the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria of the Austro-Hungarian Empire), and studied at the Breslau Jewish Theological Seminary and at the universities of Breslau and Leipzig, in Germany.
He became the spiritual leader in all the spheres of civic life, on account of his deep Judaic knowledge, organisational abilities and personal favourite pursuits in the subjects of spirit and heart.
Thanks to him, the indifferent religious life of Italian Jews started to be a live artery filled with strong native Jewish traditions and culture.
He initiated the centralized unification of all Jewish communities that resulted in creation of a new Collegio Rabbinico Italiano in Florence.
This seminary produced an array of young Rabbis, who started the spiritual renaissance of Italian Jewry.