Born in 1899 in Slomniki, Kielce Gubernia, Poland, into a pious, Chasidic family. He became an orphan at age one-and-a-half from his father. He learned in a cheder, and having a deep desire to learn, he learned with a corner teacher, in 1910 geshvartst the Austrian border to his family in Krakow (Galicia, then under Austrian rule.) Here he received a German and Polish theatre education, but becoming familiar with the Yiddish literature, he was drawn especially to Yiddish theatre. He became a member in various Yiddish organizations and institutions and came into close contact with such personalities as Professor Mifelev, Dr. Kanfer, Dr. Shiper, the poet-painter Ber Horowitz and the folk poet Mordechai Gebirtig.

In 1920-21 he participated in David Herman's offering of Anski's "Dybbuk" with Kompaneyets' troupe. Tempted in 1923, he attempted to go to America, but could not travel there due to the introduction of the quota, [so he] participated then in Berlin in the troupe of the guest-starring Regina Tsuker, then in Adolf Meltzer's troupe in Galicia (in Goldfaden repertoire.)

1925-26 -- under the direction of Jonas Turkow in Krakow and then in a tour across Poland in artistic repertoire. In 1927 he became engaged by the Krakow Yiddish theatre society under the direction of Jonas Turkow, later under the direction of Avraham Morevski, then on a tour across Romania with Lidia Potatska, later with Itsikl Goldenberg, and in 1929 in Czernowitz with the guest-starring Boris Thomashefsky and then with Fishl Kanapov on a tour across Bessarabia and later with the guest-starring Rudolf Zaslavsky. In 1931 he acted with the guest-starring Joseph Buloff, in 1932 with Morris Karalava, then with Julius Nathanson,