She was born Shifra Viner () in Konotop, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire (now in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine) on November 4, 1893. Her father was an entrepreneur or contractor. She had a traditional education in a Cheder and in a general equivalency school. As a youth she was already performing as a singer in school and at private celebrations. She soon began playing child roles in the Yiddish Theatre.
