G. was born in Krakow, western Galicia. Her father was a teacher of religion in a Polish school. 

She came to the United States at the age of eight-and-a-half. Here she completed public and high school.

Since she had a voice, she joined vaudeville and acted for nine months at Kopelman’s Vaudeville Theatre.

In 1915 she saw [David] Kessler act and decided to join the legitimate theatre. She later switched to Thomashefsky’s theatre, and later became one of the first members of the Yiddish Art Theatre, where she remained except for short breaks, until 1928. From 1928-9 she played at the Arch Street Theatre in Philadelphia, and from 1929-30 she returned to the Yiddish Art Theatre.

Gerstin married Ben Finkel, a mathematics professor and son of Moshe and Annette Finkel, pioneers of the Yiddish theatre.

Specialty – dramatic actress.

M. E.

 

 

• Leon Kobrin -- “Memories of a Yiddish Dramatist”, New York, II, pp. 141-4.

• A. Vintenfeld -- Berta Gerstin, “Kultur” [Culture], Chicago, 1,1925.

• H. Parker -- Jacob Ben Ami and Berta Gerstin “Yiddish Wort (Word)", New York, 28 May 1926.

• Jacob Mestel -- “Where are the artists of the New York Yiddish Art Theatre”, "Tseyt", London, April-May 1924.

• Dh. Liebstoeckel --Die ideale shoenheit "Die stunde", Vienna, July 1926.

• Berta Gerstin -- The Public and I, the “Der tog”, N.Y., 3 Feb 1928.