Paul "Pesach'ke" Burstein

Paul was born on 15 April 1896 in Poland.

In 1901 his father moved to Berdyansk, where he had a store that sold finished clothing.

Paul finished his education in Berdyansk in the local synagogue, then sang baritone there with Cantor Bialik. He also performed in the beloved play "Shulamis," which was written by Abraham Goldfaden.

The Cantor's choirmaster Naom Podlovny encouraged him to perform at the bimah, the pulpit, and in 1913 Burstein founded a miniature theatre in Konstantanovka. The first performance was a failure, and as a result Burstein ended up in a difficult financial situation. His father sent him money so that he could return home, but Paul spent the money on travel expenses, so that he could play in the theatre in Poltava.

With the outbreak of the First World War, Burstein together with the lady artist Kostin, began performing in the miniature theatre of Lodz. Later they performed in Vilna, and in Kovno, Lithuania.

At that time, he composed some lyrics for songs for which he later composed the melodies. Some of those lyrics, like "A Klotz in a Hat," "The Small Belt," and "The Seven Daughters" were popular for a very long time.