Her father, a manager at a soap factory, had immigrated to Argentina from the Russian Empire to escape anti-Semitism and poverty through the sponsorship of philanthropist and banker, Maurice de Hirsch. Lerer was born in the Santa Catalina colony in Argentina on August 30, 1915.
When she was older, she studied at a Spanish-language drama school and performed for three years on the Argentinian stage.
Lerer appeared opposite every major Yiddish theater actor during her career, which lasted 90 years. She was also cast in film roles, including the 1997 Woody Allen film, Deconstructing Harry. At ten she was participating in Yakov Botashanski"s productions in a theater circle.
She then passed the examinations for the actors" union and became a member, playing with the star Miryam Karalova-Kambarov, then Moyshe Oysher and Florence Weiss, finally playing in serious drama roles with Zygmunt Turkov in Urteyl, Hirsh Lekert, Ivan Kruger and Di glokn-tsier fun Notr-dam (The Bell-ringer (Hunchback) of Notre Dame).
She played with Yakov Ben-Ami and Bertha Kalich in Wolf"s Profesor Malok, Strindberg"s Der Foter, and Leyvick"s Der poet is blind gevorn (The poet became blind), with Samuel (Hymie) Goldenberg in Kalmanovich"s Hayntike kinder (Kids these days) and with Maurice Schwartz in Singer"s Moyshe Kalb. Her first performance was in Fun Niu York keyn Berlin.
She then toured concertizing at places like the Arbeter Ring, the National Yiddish Workers Union, and Camp Boyberik. She joined the actors" union in 1949 and played in Got, mentsh un tayvl with Mikhal Mikhalesko and Gustav Berger.
In 1952 she participated in Herman Yablokoff"s production of Benyomin Ressler"s Onkl Sem in yisroel (Uncle Sam in Israel) in the Public Theater in New New York
She ultimately decided to settle permanently in New York City. Lerer worked actively in the Yiddish theater circuit until she was 90 years old. Her second husband, Yiddish actor Michael Michalovic, died in 1987.
Shifra Lerer died of a stroke in Manhattan on March 12, 2011, at the age of 95.
She was buried in Block 67 of Mount Hebron Cemetery in Flushing, Queens, next to her second husband, Michael Michalovic. The cemetery"s Block 67 is reserved for who worked in New York City"s Yiddish theater industry.
Lerer was buried just rows from Boris Thomashefsky, who discovered Lerer at the age of 5 in Argentina. She had no immediate survivors.
