Leo was born in Dusseldorf Germany, January 10,1927, to Netty and Yisrael, the youngest of the religious David family’s three sons.

His father owned a shoe manufacturing factory and  Netti, a housewife  raised their three sons.  The family left Dusseldorf 1933, on their way to Israel, through Belgium and arrived 1934. Here the family acquired an orchard, tried operating other types of businesses, and eventually established another  shoe factory . The David family lived in Dizengoff St, Northern Tel-Aviv. Leo studied at “Tachkemoni” religious-elementary school, then  Bnei-Akiva Yeshiva in Kfar- Haro’eh,  completing his studies at  “Atid” High-School. He joined the Hagannah and later Palmach.

Eventually, he found his place in Lehi, which he joined in Tel-Aviv. Even during his Palmach period, Leo used to make nightly patrols in the region between Hulda and Kiryat-Anavim, and thus became highly familiar with the  Jerusalem mountains and their hidden bypass trails. Leo joined the IDF 1948, served in the 82^nd Battalion’s Transport section and was discharged 1951. During his IDF service period, Yanai of the Sheikh-Monis group – that remained outside IDF ranks, loyal to its Lehi spirit –  called upon him to join the small group of Lehi  patrollers, trying to infiltrate into Jerusalem using eight jeeps, by means of the Jerusalem mountains’ bypass trails between the lines of the Jordanian Legion, following Bab-el-Wad’s (Hagai Gate) closure which left Jerusalem under complete blockade. The jeeps managed to reach Jerusalem twice and to return. Their experience and  success in cutting through to Jerusalem on those handy bypass trails, contributed greatly to the planning and execution of the Burma Road.

Leo married Ruth Pinchuk. Nowadays Leo resides in Los Angeles. He is active in Jewish and Israeli organizations and a generous donor to both.