Dr. Yigal Ben-Shalom is the son of Ovadiak Ben-Shalom, the founder and president of The Association for Yemenite Society, Culture, Research and Documentationan Israeli organization which promotes and preserves the culture and history of Yemenite Jewry. The 30,000 member organization is headquartered in a Yemenite museum and meeting complex in Netanya, Israel. Today, Yigal serves as its president.

Dr. Shalom received his Ph.D. from the University of Haifa and previously served as the Director of Israel’s National Insurance Institute and as the Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. He was a senior lecturer in social policy at universities throughout Israel and served as the Director of Welfare in JDC’s Israel chapter. He was a Senior Research Fellow at the Minerva Center for Youth Studies at Haifa University and served as the Executive Director of M.B.S Systems Company, which deals with strategic planning, consulting and management systems.