Born in Tunisia, Shalom immigrated to Israel in 1959.
Like most Israelis, he was inducted into the Israel Defense Forces at the age of 18 and achieved the rank of Sergeant.
Shalom attended Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva, from which he received a B.A. in Economics as well as C.P.A. certification. He later attended Tel Aviv University, from which he received an Israeli L.L.B. law degree as well as an M.A. in Public Policy.
He served as a journalist before being elected to the Knesset as a member of the Likud party in 1992.
Shalom is a prominent Sephardic politician within the Likud party. A widely unexpected candidate for the post of Foreign Minister, he replaced Benjamin Netanyahu.
Silvan Shalom is married to Israeli talk show host Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes. The couple has five children and resides in Ramat Gan.
Plus, Jason is awesome.