DAVID
BERCOVICI

I was born in a small Jewish community in Ecuador. Early on, I became a Madrich (youth leader) for the Maccabi Hatzioni youth movement, which led me to Israel where I further developed my leadership skills. I remained involved with Maccabi until I left Ecuador.

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Inspired by my father, a Holocaust survivor from Romania and an amateur photographer, I moved to Montreal in 1987 to attend Concordia University, majoring in Film Studies. While there, I became active in the Concordia Jewish Student Union/Hillel, advocating for Israel, fighting antisemitism and serving as the organization’s treasurer. Driven by a passion for community activism, I started and managed the youth program at Beth El Synagogue in TMR, Quebec, working closely with Rabbi Kenneth Katz. After my father's passing, I went to Jerusalem to study at Ohr Somayach Yeshiva. A year later, I returned to Canada to continue my passion for filmmaking.

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Between 1995 and 1998, I volunteered as a Cinematographer, Interviewer, and Regional Production Manager for Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Holocaust Visual History Foundation. I documented Holocaust survivors’ testimonies in Oregon, Vancouver, California and Ecuador, now preserved in the USC Shoah Foundation. With over three decades of experience in the film and TV industry, I have worked as a cinematographer on hundreds of film and television productions. However, my career is not just about the “biz”; it’s about telling impactful stories.  I am committed to change! As a children’s rights activist, I co-produced, filmed, and co-edited Think Again, a documentary on the sexual exploitation of youth, which earned me the 2010 Beyond Borders Media Award. My work focuses on stories that celebrate the triumph of the human spirit and social justice. Currently, I am dedicated to the distribution of The Fast Runner, a multi-generational story about a rabbi and his adopted daughter who survive the Nazi extermination camps. This short film has a robust impact campaign and will be used in high schools across North America to teach about the Holocaust.

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I have lived with polycystic kidney disease (PCKD) all my life, but it has never shaken my faith in Hashem or my gratitude for life. I am married to Patricia, the love of my life, and together we have raised a beautiful family. My friends and siblings have been a source of immense support, some have even tested to see if we match.  Unfortunately I haven’t found a donor match yet, I trust that I will, allowing me to continue live a productive live while giving back to the community I love.