His father Gustav Gerschon had studied art in Paris and later returned to Berlin where he achieved modest fame as an artist.
The young couple had a close relationship with the liberal rabbi, Dr. Lahmman, who supported Fürst's aspirations to become a well-known illustrator.
After serving in the German army in World War I, he returned to Berlin to work for Ullstein publishers illustrating books and magazines.
During the years of the Weimar Republic, he used to travel extensively throughout Europe producing many oil and watercolor paintings of the countries he visited.
Following the advent of the Nazi dictatorship, Fürst was expelled from the German Labor Front, the Nazi-led compulsory trade union and dismissed from his job at Ullstein publishers.