kalich was born beylke kalakh in what was then austria-hungary, the only child of solomon kalakh, a poor brush manufacturer and amateur violinist. her mother was babette halber kalakh, a seamstress who often made costumes for local theaters. babette was an active opera fan and her devotion inspired a love for the stage in her daughter. they often attended performances together and when young bertha came of age, her parents scraped together their meager funds to send her to private music and drama schools. at age thirteen, she joined the chorus of the local polish theater and later attended the prestigious lemberg conservatory.