Chaim was born 1906 in Minsk, White Russia. Father Shlomo, descendant of Dayanim, served as Rabbi aboard ships transporting Jews to America. His mother, Mina nee Nisevitch, from a  Zionist Chabad family, was expert in Hebrew, and  gave Chaim his Zionist education. Following WWI and the Bolsheviks’ rise to power, Chaim escaped to Poland, aged merely 12. After many hardships, he arrived in Israel. His father had to remain in America during  the war, and arrived 1920. His mother and brother arrived in Haifa 1921 and the family settled in Tel-Aviv.

Chaim studied at Tachkemoni School, couldn’t adjust and left. He earned his education on his own and in 1927 was accepted at Jerusalem’s Teachers Seminary.  During the 1929 Riots he joined  Hagannah and guarded Machanayim, Yesod HaMa’alah, Rosh-Pina and Degania. Objecting to the non-retribution policy, he joined ‘National Defence’ in Jerusalem. With the fire of revolt burning in his bones, he joined Abba Achimeir’s ‘Brit-Habiryonim’. In 1933 he was arrested with other ‘Brit’ members following Arlozerov’s murder, and sentenced to fifteen months.  Chaim joined Etzel 1936, at its formation and participated in activities. Arrested and sentenced to three years prison with hard labour, he spent them at Nur-Shemesh and Jerusalem prisons. After Etzel split, he joined Lehi and was active until being arrested on the street, March 20,1944 and imprisoned in Latrun; he was later exiled to Eritrea and Sudan. In total he spent seven years in prison. He was released 1947 and upon return immediately resumed underground activities, where he filled various positions.

Following the assassination of Count Bernadotte, Chaim was arrested and spent six months in Israeli Prison. After establishment of the State, he was placed in charge of  Lands in the Ministry of Labour. He participated in the Six Day War. Chaim married Rachel Mark 1937, who’d accompanied him since his Brit-Habiryonim days. They have a daughter and a son, Yael and  Heday, plus four grandchildren. Chaim  wrote four novels: “A Day in Spring I Shall not Forget”, “Three Underground Stories”, “Letters to Ayala”, and “We Embrace in our Gaze”.