Salomea was born in the Polish town of Kielce in 1889 or 1890. Her Hebrew name was Sara, and she was called “Salcia” or “Sala” by family and friends. Her father was a successful merchant who owned a tannery (a factory that processed leather) and a store that sold leather goods. The family was large–there were 8 children in total–and traditional in its Jewish observance. Salomea completed a gymnasium (high school) and learned to play piano. More so than her siblings, she helped her father out in the leather goods store and developed a good business sense. Her business acumen would serve her well; in her early twenties, she married Siegfried Steyer, a young, dashing entrepreneur, and advised him in his ventures. Together they had two children, Stanley and Helena. When the Nazis rounded up the Jewish population of Kielce for deportation in 1942, Salomea refused to leave the family home. She was shot on the spot.