N. was born on 14 June 1865 in Odessa, Ukraine. His father was a tailor. He learned in a cheder. On the initiative of Spivakovski, he was taken into a Talmud Torah, where he also received food and dress, and after the Talmud Torah, he began to learn with children. Later he finished a governmental school and in a [hshbun] of the government he learned in a six-class gymnasium. While visiting a wine bar, G. became enamored by the folksingers. Through Spivakovski he was taken onto the Yiddish stage, debuting for the first time as "a young girl", then as "Feyvish" in "Shmendrik", and after touring across the province, he acted in Odessa's "Maks" in "Beyde kuni lemel (The Two Kuni Lemels)" under Goldfaden's direction, later traveling with Naftali Goldfaden across southern Russia, acting again with Avraham Goldfaden and traveling then across the Crimea (Director -- Spivakovski), Lithuania (Director -- Cohen), Poland, Prussia, Kurland, Lettland (Latvia), Lifland, acting several times in Odessa and Riga, later with Shomer's troupe in Kishinev, Belz and again in Odessa, until his brother took him to America.

Here N. at first was a picture framer, but soon he brought several actors together and traveled with them to act in Chicago, then he entered into the Rumanian Opera House, and he acted for eight years in New York in first comic roles with the prominent forces of the Yiddish stage.

Due to bad business N. expanded out from the stage, becoming a lumber merchant and then an insurance agent.