Simcha Jacobovici (pronounced Ya-Ko-Bo-Vitch) is an award winning documentary director and producer whose work deals primarily with controversies in Jewish history. In addition to filmmaking, Jacobovici does lectures, and writes articles that are featured in papers worldwide. Jacobovici is fluent in English, French, Hebrew and Romanian. Jacobovici has a B.A. with Honours in Philosophy and Political Science from McGill University and an M.A. in International Relations from the University of Toronto.
Simcha Jacobovici was born on April 4, 1953, in Petach Tikvah (Gateway of Hope), Israel, 7 miles east of Tel Aviv. He grew up in Montreal, Canada.
From 1978-80, while a graduate student in Toronto, he was the chairperson of the North American Jewish Students' Network; founded and chaired Network Canada, the country's national union of Jewish students; founded the Canadian Universities Bureau of the Canadian Zionist Federation and served on the National Executive of the Canadian Jewish Congress. In 1978, he was invited to share the dais with Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, when the latter emerged from Camp David to announce the historic peace accord with Egypt. In 1979, Simcha Jacobovici was president of the International Congress of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS). For his Zionist work on North American campuses, in 1980 he was awarded the Knesset Medal. During the same year, he served as special consultant on Nazi war criminals to the Solicitor General of Canada.
Simcha Jacobovici is also co-founder of the Canadian Association for Ethiopian Jews (1980) and Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief (1985). From 1987-1993, he served on the executive committee of the Toronto Centre for Creative Arts Therapy. In 1993, he served on the Ontario Region Executive of the Organization for Educational Research and Technological Training (ORT). Since 1993, he has served as the president of the Riverdale Jewish Community Centre which he co-founded.
Filmography
Jacobovici's documentaries include:
- The Exodus Decoded
- Falasha: Exile of the Black Jews
- Deadly Currents
- Hollywoodism: Jews, Movies & the American Dream
- Quest for the Lost Tribes
- The Struma
- James: Brother of Jesus
Jacobovici also created and hosts the television program The Naked Archeaologist
Awards
Jacobovici was named Canada's Top Documentary Filmmaker by the Ryerson Review of Journalism. He has received a certificate of Special Merit from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, a Genie Award, a Gold Medal from the International Documentary Festival of Nyon, three U.S. Cable Ace Awards, two Gemini awards, an Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia University Award, a Silver Nymph from the Monte Carlo Festival, the Best Documentary from the Jerusalem International Film Festival and the 1995 and 1996 Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Investigative Journalism."
External links
- simchaj.ca information on Jacobovici
- apltd.ca information on Jacobovici's company
- theexodusdecoded.com information on Jacobovici's most recent film
- Simcha Jacobovici at IMDb
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