Schwartz was born in Sedikov, Ukraine and moved to the United States in 1902. He founded the Yiddish Art Theatre in New York and began acting and directing plays by, among, others, Sholom Aleichem.

The Museum of Family History currently presents an exhibition about Schwartz and his Yiddish Art Theatre. This includes the full, unpublished biography about Schwartz, the only one of its kind. You can visit the exhibition here.