Erica Schultz Yakovetz has been involved in Jewish liturgical and communal leadership since the early 1990s. As a lay leader at Temple Beth Shalom of Cambridge, MA, she routinely led Friday night services and read from the Torah on Saturday mornings for over 12 years. She had the privilege of singing with the professional High Holiday choir at Congregation Shirat HaYam in Marblehead, MA, for 10 years, and performing with Boston-area Jewish a cappella group Honorable Menschen for 8 years.

In 2013, she lent her voice and presence as Hazzanit to Ohel Ayalah‘s acclaimed free community High Holiday services in Manhattan. She also sang soprano in the synagogue choir at Town & Village Synagogue downtown from 2012 to 2014.

Erica holds a BA in English and American Literature from Brandeis University, where she also began her Jewish journey and study of Hebrew. She is ordained as a minister of the Universal Life Church, authorizing her to perform marriages in the State of Indiana.

As a convert to Conservative Judaism (in 1996 at the age of 23), and now making a Jewish-identified household in northwest Indiana with her wonderfully supportive non-Jewish spouse, Erica is well versed in the needs and challenges of interfaith families. She also supports full community inclusion of same-gender couples and other non-traditional family structures, and is highly sensitive to the ritual (as well as social) issues these individuals face.

Additionally, Erica is a gifted writer, graphic designer and visual artist with a particular affinity for Jewish texts. She specializes in custom ketubah texts (in English and Hebrew) and can work with you to personalize other life-cycle ritual elements for your family’s needs.

Specialties:

• Friday evening Mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat, and Maariv services
  Audio (MP3) samples: Yedid Nefesh and Tzadik KaTamar
• Saturday morning Torah services
• Torah and Haftarah reading
• Saturday evening Havdalah rituals
• Simchat Bat baby-naming ceremonies for girls
• Customized life cycle events for interfaith and nontraditional families
• Tu B’Shvat seders (for the New Year of the Trees)