Arieh was born on 1918 in Kurów, Poland, near Lublin, to religious, traditional parents. His father sold leather, which allowed him to provide a good lifestyle for the family of eight. At a young age, Arieh began studying in the local yeshiva, and when he reached bar mitzvah age, he was sent to Yeshivat Lublin.

After a few years in yeshiva, he returned to help his father in business. Nevertheless, he started thinking about Zionist activity. At first, he was a member of Mizrahi, but he was captivated by Jabotinsky’s ideas, and he joined Beitar. Due to his dedication and talent, he was sent to a commanders’ course in Lodz, where he met, inter alia, people like Anshel Shpilman and Avraham Amper. A few years later, he would meet them once again, as Lehi Central Committee members. After the course, he became the district Beitar commander.

Yosef made aliyah with Af al Pi program, under the auspices of Beitar, on the ship Parita, which reached the shores of Tel Aviv in summer 1939. The ship was stopped by the British, and the Mapilim were detained and sent to Sarafand (Tzrifin). After their release, Arieh settled in the Chap neighborhood of Nahalat Yitzhak, near Ramat Gan. At first, he was a collections agent for the Histadrut, then he went to work at a bakery, among other jobs. Once he heard about the split in the IZL, he followed Yair. Arieh was active in Ramat Gan and Givat Rambam.

His room was a meeting place and firearms training site. With his comrades he disseminated promotional materials, and he excelled at recruiting new members. Arieh had inexhaustible energy. He spoke quickly and forcefully, and he was undeniably persuasive. In the main, he recruited heavily from Brit Hashmona’im. He also was involved in fundraising.

He worked in the diamond industry, during his time in the underground and after the establishment of the State. In 1945, he married Sarah Stern, who supported and assisted him in his underground activity. They had three children: Moriah, Hava and David. Due to Arieh’s business, the family spent a number of years in the United States after the State of Israel was established. Sarah and Arieh returned to Israel after ten years, and Arieh continued working in the diamond business. He was seriously injured in a car accident, passing away a few weeks after it on 10.1.1987.

Sarah split her time between her home in Ramat Gan and that of her children in the United States, David and Moriah. Sarah passed away in America on 2 Tevet 5759, and she was buried alongside her husband in the Holon Cemetery.