[1] Born in Minsk in the Russian Empire (now in Belarus), Zisling emigrated to Palestine in 1904.

Following Israel's declaration of independence in 1948, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture in David Ben-Gurion's provisional government.

[2][3] About the atrocities committed during the war, Zisling told the Provisional State Council (the forerunner to the Knesset), on 17 November 1948:[4] "I couldn't sleep all night.

[5][6] In 1949 he was elected to the first Knesset, but Mapam were not included in Ben-Gurion's coalition and Zisling lost his place in the cabinet.

He was re-elected in 1951, and was part of the faction that broke away from Mapam to recreate Ahdut HaAvoda.