David was born in Warsaw on September 10, 1920 to a Religious Zionist family, which made aliyah and settled in Petah Tikva. To support the family, the parents Mordechai and Leah née Lichtag opened a grocery. In Petah Tikva, the children studied in the Netzach Israel School.

In 1928, the father left the Land of Israel to return to Warsaw with two of the children, who were often ill. In 1929, the mother arrived with Moshe and young David. The three oldest children studied in the Tarbut School, and they dreamed of returning to Israel. The four of them joined Beitar. In 1935, David returned with his parents to the Land of Israel. In the Land of Israel there already lived Moshe, his wife Batya and his sister Tova.

In 1936, David’s brother Tuvia arrived. In 1937, when he was a high school student, his father died. David, along with his mother, had the burden of running the grocery fall on him.

In 1940, he joined Lehi. He trained with a pistol. He worked as a porter at the British Army camp in Kiryat Motzkin, which had a huge warehouse for construction materials. He would then report the next day on the activities in the camp. When he worked in Tel Aviv, he was sent to report on the movement in the measurement department.

In 1941, he returned to Haifa and renewed communications with the underground. His nom de guerre was Menahem. He was involved in putting up posters, and sometimes they brought the newspaper HeHazit to his house to hide it for several days. He would then slip the newspaper into different post offices. He maintained communications with Yerachmiel “Elisha” Aaronson, who was unfortunately killed by the British in Tel Aviv.

In 1942, he was hired by the British Navy on Jaffa Street. He would report about documents (including classified ones) and the status of the Navy. As the anti-British activities reached a fever pitch, David began to suspect that he was being followed, so he tried to find work outside Haifa, but he had a hard time making a living. He provided for his widowed mother and his young niece, Herut, whose mother (Tova Savorai) was imprisoned in Bethlehem for sheltering Yair in her house at 8 Mizrahi Bet Street. Her father Moshe was also in prison, and responsibility for her welfare fell on David.

On April 1,1944, David was imprisoned with his brother Tuvia; they were then exiled to Africa. He was released after the establishment of the State, on July 12,1948. He served in a combat unit, in the Oded Brigade, Battalion 91, Company A. One of the squads was composed of those who had come on the Altalena. He married Zehava Silverberg; they had two daughters and numerous grandchildren.