Yair Lootsteen was born in London and later moved to Canada, growing up in Toronto. In 1979, Lootsteen immigrated to Israel, and would go on to serve in the military’s Advocate General Corps for 23 years, according to an online profile. He held various positions over this time, including legal advisor in the West Bank as well as in Gaza, staff judge advocate for the general staff command and colonel.

An online bio for Lootsteen posted on the website for a synagogue in North York, Ont., where he was hosted as a guest states, “Since completing his regular IDF service, Yair has invested much of his time on issues relating to Jewish pluralism in Israel. […] In May 2018 he was appointed Vice Chairperson of KKL-JNF, a position he was re-selected for by ARZENU following the 2020 World Zionist Congress elections.”