Yekiel was born in 1857. Yekiel's father was Dawid SZEPS and his mother was Maria RECLHMANN. His paternal grandparents were Yekiel SZEPS and Debora. He had three brothers and two sisters, named Chaim, Herszl, Isaac, Cirl and Debora. He was the oldest of the six children. He died at the age of 85 in 1942.