Яаков Швэки יעקב שוועקי

Yaakov Shwekey was born in Jerusalem to a Sephardi father born in Cairo to a Syrian-Jewish family and an Ashkenazi mother raised in the United States; his parents met and married in New York. He lived in Jerusalem's Bayit VeGan neighborhood as a child and later moved to Mexico City, where he attended yeshiva.

He is known for his strong, clear voice and heartfelt songs. One of his biggest hits, "Vehi She'amda", composed by Yonatan Razel, debuted on his Caesarea concert DVD around 2008–2009. He performs at concerts, weddings and charity events in America, Israel and worldwide, and has described his song as "a prayer, not just a song".