Raised and educated in Stockholm, Sweden, Chana Sharfstein attained a degree in education from the University of Massachusetts. She continued her education at Brooklyn College and worked as a teacher at various public schools in New York. Chana was the president of Scandinavia Trio Tours for 25 years where she organized tours for groups to visit Scandinavia. She has also written seven books, including It Was Evening, It Was Morning—Scandinavia in the Aftermath of WWII and Beyond the Dollar Line. In New York City, Chana is docent at both the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park and the Center for Jewish History Chelsea. She has five children, many grandchildren and even more great grandchildren.