He joined the Tzeiri Zion youth group, and later became a member of Hapoel Hatzair.

After David Ben-Gurion and Yitzhak Ben-Zvi were expelled by the Ottoman authorities, he was a member of the Poale HaIvri central committee.

In 1919 he was amongst the founders of Ahdut HaAvoda, and the following year helped establish kibbutz Ayelet HaShahar.

He worked as a member of the mounted platoon of the special police that guarded the villages in the area.

Two years later he was elected to the Knesset on the Mapai list and was appointed Deputy Speaker.