Shalom was born in 1917 in Dhamar, Yemen to Shlomo and Sarah Assata and he had two sisters and three brothers. He was also known by the name Haim Yitzhak. At the age of five he immigrated to Israel with his family, who settled in Tel Aviv. Shalom attended Talmud Torah Elementary School and enjoyed sports especially football. He later worked in the building trade.

He enlisted into the RAF in 1940. The cause of his death is unknown to date.