Levin was born Izaak Meir Lewin in Góra Kalwaria (known as Ger in Yiddish) in the Congress Poland part of the Russian Empire.

He married the daughter of Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter, head of the influential Ger hasidic dynasty[2] at the age of 16.

[1] Following the outbreak of World War II, Levin helped refugees in Warsaw, before emigrating to Mandatory Palestine in 1940, where he became head of the local branch of Agudath Israel.

[1] After signing the Israeli declaration of independence in 1948, Levin joined David Ben-Gurion's provisional government as Minister of Welfare.

After retaining his seat in the 1951 elections Levin rejoined Ben-Gurion's government as Minister of Welfare, but resigned in 1952 in protest at the National Service Law for Women.