He was born on 29 July 1899 in Vasilkov, Kiev. Gubernia, Ukraine. His father was a glazer and sang in the choir for cantors. He learned in a cheder, afterwards in a commercial school, where he had in the beginning, as a Jew, not been allowed to enter, and he ended it at first after the October Revolution. As a student, he began to work in a printing shop.

In 1918 by chance he participated in a dramatic club of the young lawyers of Vasilkov, and he learned to play to violin. From 1919-24 he learned in the theatre studio of the "Culture League," studying with regisseur Vakhtangov. From 1924-26 he learned in the studio of the White Russian State Institute for the Theatrical Arts (Rapelski et al), and from 1926 until 1932 he was an actor and regisseur in the "White Russia Jewish State Theatre" in Minsk, while also at the same time artistic direction of the Russian theatre under the name of Yermolov in Moscow, and also director of the Yiddish dramatic theatre for the young. In 1934-35 he directed in Odessa the play "Gold Diggers," and other plays. In 1935-36 he was regisseur and artistic director of the Bira Bidzhaner Jewish Stage Theatre. From 1937 until 1940 he worked as a regisseur in various theatres in the directorial group with the famous Stanislowski.

In the beginning of the German-Soviet war, E. soon was taken away to voluntarily protect the main city Moscow against the Nazi invasion, and in October 1941 he fell at the fields of the city mozhiask behind Moscow.