Maja Gordon was born in Chorzów in 1947. Her parents were pre-war communists. Her mother was from Wilna, while her father was from Białystok.
After the war, they became involved in building the new political system of the People's Republic of Poland and joined the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR). Initially, they lived in Gliwice, and later moved to Warsaw. Her father worked in the Ministry of Heavy Industry, and her mother was a Russian language lecturer at the University of Warsaw. In 1957, the family emigrated to Israel.
Maja Gordon completed her artistic studies in Israel and the Netherlands. She now lives in the Netherlands.