P. was born in 1898 in Yelisavetgrad, Ukraine, to poor parents. Her father was a mill worker. At age fifteen she completed school with an award, but due to the "percentage norm" Jewish students did not enter the gymnasium.

Possessing a rare soprano voice, P. in school participated in the singing productions. The son of the house owner, the Ukrainian theatre director and actor Kalisnotshenko, took her in to his troupe to act in children's roles during his guest appearances in Yelisavetgrad, and would even take on their tour, though her parents hadn't agreed to it.

But when she grew up, she left with the incoming Yiddish troupe of Mishurat, until her father took her out [of the troupe] and brought her back home.

During the First World War, when the Czarist government had forbidden performances in Yiddish, she became engaged in Zaslavsky's troupe, which performed Yiddish repertoire in Russian, and in 1917, when the troupe went over to act in Yiddish, she remained in the troupe as a prima donna.

P. also often used to perform as a soloist in concerts (ever? used to her type of folksongs), or in duets with Misha Apelboym.

In 1918 she married actor Sholem Pinkus and a year later bore a child, who passed away in 1920.