Shalom Moskovitz's great grandparents came to Safed from Eastern Europe in the eighteenth century and although he moved to Australia for a year, when the Jews were exiled to Constantinople and Damascus during World War I, Moskovitz lived in the picturesque city of Safed on the Galilee hills for most of his life. In Safed, the birthplace of Jewish mysticism and kabbalah, Moskovitz, who was a member of the Hassidic sect, was heir to a rich tradition.

A watchmaker by trade, Moskovitz's artistic talents were discovered late in life, but he quickly attained worldwide reputation as a profound naïve painter.