His maternal grandfather was a Dutch rabbi, while his paternal line had supplied Trier's rabbis since 1723, a role taken by his grandfather Meier Halevi Marx.
Kakek pihak ibunya adalah seorang rabbi Belanda, sementara garis ayahnya meliputi para rabbi Trier sejak 1723, sebuah peran yang diambil oleh kakeknya Meier Halevi Marx.