He was born in Haifa and studied in Kadoorie Agricultural High School. Once conscripted, he joined the Armored Corps where he was trained in combat roles and as a tank commander. During the Yom Kippur War, he commanded the 264th Battalion (under the 421st Brigade), the first tank battalion to cross the Suez Canal during Operation Abirey-Halev. During the First Lebanon War, he commanded the 90th Division which fought along the eastern front, including in the Battle of Sultan Yacoub. Later, he also served as Israel's military attaché to South Africa. In 1989, he was elected mayor of Petah Tikva on behalf of the Likud where he served for two terms before losing the third to Yitzhak Ochaion, an independent affiliated with Labour.