Kipnis was born in Ushomyr in Volhynian Governorate which was part of the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire (now in Korosten Raion of Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine), into a family of 12. His father, Pessach, who was a shaliach tzibbur, sent him to study in a Cheder, which he didn't like because of the strict discipline. He showed a passion for the arts from a young age, painting and woodcarving.