When you meet David Poznic (also known as David Poznanter), you know immediately that you’re in the company of a real mensch, someone who lives according to his values.

David is a man of many talents — a teacher, actor, circus artist, acrobat, and mask maker. He has performed across Europe and trained Bollywood superstars in India. Now he and his wife, Prune Derriennic, are creating a different kind of life in Santa Cruz with their daughter, Alba, who just turned two. The Coronavirus pandemic has made this much more difficult than they anticipated.

When they settled in Santa Cruz, David stopped touring and built a career performing and teaching locally, including performances for local companies like Google and Facebook. He and Prune bought an uninhabitable fixer upper, did much of the preliminary work themselves to save money, and were ready to hire a construction crew to do the rest. Then Covid changed everything.

David’s income disappeared overnight, and the friend who was going to provide a construction loan suffered severe business losses. David and Prune were struggling to cover both their mortgage and the rent on the place where they were staying until their home became habitable. They also had a team of construction workers lined up who were counting on the employment to take care of their own families. That’s when they turned to Hebrew Free Loan.

“Hebrew Free Loan has allowed me to feed my family, pay our rent, and finish our house while I pivot to create an online version of my career.”

Our interest-free Coronavirus Impact loan provided bridge funding to cover their expenses until David’s income picks up. He’s working hard to develop alternative income streams, including an online fitness program, Poznic Training, available on YouTube and Instagram. David is energized by helping people achieve their health and fitness goals — during Covid and beyond — and he’s grateful for the assistance Hebrew Free Loan is providing to his family and others in need.

UPDATE: MARCH 2021

Almost a year after receiving their loan, David is training clients from all over the world via Zoom, finally earning enough to cover all of his family’s bills. He’s built an online fitness channel that has almost 100,000 followers, between Instagram and YouTube, and he’s a few months away from launching a fitness app that will provide a more secure, long-term source of income. And, after a year in which everything that could have gone wrong did, their home will be habitable in the very near future.

“We were very afraid we were going to lose our house … for a long time it seemed like a question of not if, but when. But the house is still ours – the home of our dreams – and we’re thrilled to be moving in soon. We appreciate the help we got from Hebrew Free Loan so much.”

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