Born on 28 August 1871 in Odessa, Ukraine. Parents -- owners of a grain business. He learned in a cheder, pension, gymnasium, and for a short time in a university.

Still in a gymnasium, H. participated in the Russian school productions, then H. left the university and entered into the Russian troupe of Kazantsov in Odessa, where he acted for a year's time under the name "Malyuta", then for a year-and-a-half in the Russian troupe of Vlasov in Kherson.

In 1892 he immigrated together with his parents to America, where H. settled in Philadelphia. Here he left to study further, but due to the economic conditions he became a bookkeeper in a clothing business, acting at the same time with "amateurs". 1898 -- H. became engaged by Finkel in the Arch Street Theatre, where he remained for several months, having the opportunity to act with Adler. Now H. took again to studying, and in 1904 he completed the medical-surgical college.

Not being able to act anymore due to his medical practice, and feeling a tight connection with Yiddish theatre, H. took to writing plays and composing as such thirty-five theatre pieces of which eight were performed, -- among them: "Di zingerin" (produced by Mike Thomashesky, performed by Sara Adler), "Farbotene frukht"