B. was born on 26 April 1873
in Lemberg, Eastern Galicia. His father was a [mnkr], an
Orthodox, cultured man.
B. learned in a cheder,
Talmud Torah, and he completed a folkshul. As a child, B.
sang with Cantor R' Aaron Sholom?, and at the age of
nine "played theatre" at home with the late folksinger
and actor Moishe Weinberg. From age thirteen to sixteen
he sang as a professional singer, afterwards entering
into Gimpel's as a barist, also acting from time
to time in small roles, and he also participated in the
dances. Three years later, when Berl Bernstein traveled
to America, B. took over Bernstein's roles, and he acted
for six months with Gimpel, then Axelrad "stole" him
away and took him to Czernowitz where B. performed with
him for six years across Galicia, Bukovina, Rumania and
Hungary. Gimpel "stole" him back, and he acted with him
for six years, then went over to Anshel Schorr in
Przemysl and its surrounds, then to Moishe Weinberg in
Krakow and Hungary, until he came to Berlin, where he
acted with his own troupe. When Thomashefsky
guest-starred there in 1901, he took B. with him back to
America, where he performed in Cleveland with
Harry Bernstein under the pseudonym of "Bernardi". From
there he was engaged to Elias Glickman in Chicago, where
he acted for two seasons, touring for a half-year with
Jacob Silbert across the province. He acted for eight
seasons in Boston, where he also during that span of
time had his own troupe. Then B. acted for seven seasons
with Mike Thomashefsky in Philadelphia, two seasons with
Gertner in Chicago, directed a Yiddish theatre for
two years in |
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