At age eight, he emigrated to the United States with his mother and settled in New York City. His father remained in Israel, where he had one other son and three daughters. In the United States, Simmons changed his name to Gene Klein, adopting his mother's maiden name. At age nine, he briefly attended a Jewish religious school, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, before transferring to a public school. He later attended Richmond College and Sullivan County Community College, both in New York, and chose a stage name in tribute to the rockabilly singer Jumpin' Gene Simmons. Before his musical career began, Klein worked a variety of jobs in the city. An "excellent typist", he served as an assistant to an editor of the fashion magazine "Vogue", and also spent several months as a sixth grade instructor on the Upper West Side.