As a young woman, Yetta's emigrated to the United States from her home in Romania to meet Shlomo Rosenberg, with whom her marriage had been arranged. While on the boat, Yetta had a romantic affair with Richard, a waiter in the first class dining room. Yetta originally confessed that she was unable to marry Shlomo due to her love for Richard, but unable to find her lover after landing in America, went through with her marriage.
Throughout her life, Yetta moved back and forth between Europe and America. She is implied to have experienced several events of World War II first hand; claiming to have "fled poland" for her and her husband's first anniversary, and experienced a "fireworks show" in Hawaii on 7 December 1941. Later, Yetta had a daughter with Shlomo, Sylvia. At some point during Sylvia's childhood, Yetta was separated from her daughter. Yetta seems to have returned by the time Fran was a young girl, having come "out of Europe with a dining table strapped to her back."
