David Roitman Was born on November 1, 1884, at the Jusefpol village in the Russian province of Podolia, to his parents Mordecai and Mariom Roitman. At the age of 12, he became the choral assistant to a cantor at the nearby town Lidvinke. He was then apprenticed to a series of cantors starting with Yankel Sorover and including Zeidel Rovner. Roitman would remain with Rovner throughout his teenage years. He studied music at Yeshiva College and continued his studies as a post-graduate at the Leningrad Conservatory.

Roitman served as a cantor for five years at the Jewish T