Eliyahu Yishai was born in Jerusalem in 1962.
He served in the IDF and studied at Yeshivat Hanegev and Yeshivat Porat Yosef. He is Chairman of the Shas Party.
Yishai was a member of the Jerusalem Municipal Council (1991), Secretary-General of the Shas party (1993-1994) and Director General of El Hama'ayan, the Shas-affiliated educational institution (1995-1996).
Eliyahu Yishai was elected to the Knesset in 1996 and served as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs from June 1996 - July 1999.
He served as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs from July 1999 until his resignation in July 2000.
Eli Yishai served as Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister from March 2001 until February 2003. In the 15th and 16th Knessets he served as a Member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
In May 2006 Eli Yishai was appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor.
He is married and the father of five children.