L. was born on 28 March 1899 in Minsk, White Russia. His father was a farmer, then an employee for a lumber merchant and now is in a Bidzhan(?) office. His mother is a baker. He completed an eight-class gymnasium.

In 1917 he acted in Russian in a drama circle in Balashov, Saratov Gubernia, and here became [kurazhirt] to the stage by the Russian actor Kasarov. In 1918 he also acted with "amateurs" in Yiddish ("Leyzer badkhan" in Gordin's "God, Man and Devil"). In 1919 he organized in Minsk a large cultural circle under the name of Turgenyev, and he staged in Russian plays in the dramatic studio of the worker, and with him staged several plays. In 1921 he organized and directed with a Russian studio in Minsk, stating with the dramatic [Rabfak] in Minsk and in the Red Army. In 1922 he acted in Minsk in Rafelsky's Yiddish studio. In 1923 he staged in Minsk's Central Worker's Club under the name of the great slapstick "Oyfn himel a irid". In 1924 he staged there his and A. Kh. Avin's play "Tsen teg in trest" [Litvinov and Avin -- 10 teg in trest, a kino-satire in 19 episodz. Oysgabe fun tsentral-rat fun di proffareynen in veysrusland, minsk, 1925, preyz 65 kop., pp. 47, 16°].

In 1923 he entered into the Yiddish state studio of White Russia Theatre Institute in Moscow, from which later became "Vimt". Here L., outside of acting, was assistant regisseur in "Skopen", "Shylok" and "Kasrilevka" and led in 1927 his adaptation and montage of Lope de la Vega's "Shepsn-kval".