Born in Tel Aviv during the Mandate era, Cohen-Orgad studied economics and education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

He became chairman of Herut's economic council, and in 1977, was elected to the Knesset on the Likud list.

[1] Re-elected in 1981, he was appointed Minister of Finance in October 1983, replacing Yoram Aridor.

Together with Moshe Arens, Cohen-Orgad was a driving force behind Israeli higher education in the occupied West Bank.

Among the active founders of the College of Judea and Samaria, he became the major factor in its development into Ariel University raising millions of dollars from private and public sources.