יוסף ברמן

Iosif Berman (1892-1941), photographer, one of the first photojournalists in Romania, born in Burdujeni, Romania, the son of a Jewish merchant who had fought in the Romanian War of Independence (1877-1878) and received Romanian citizenship. Berman learned the art of photography in Suceava, Romania. He made his debut in Gazeta ilustrata, where he participated in a competition for a photographer, which he won. Soon, he became prominent and began collaborating with a number of major newspapers, such as Adevărul and Dimineaţa.

During the First World War he worked as a photographer, and after the war, he moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, where he married. Due to the Russian revolution, he was forced to leave Russia and settled in Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey. From There he collaborated with several Romanian and foreign newspapers providing them with photos and photo reports. His photographs also appeared in România ilustrată, (“Illustrated Romania”), Ilustraţiunea română (“The Romanian Illustration”), Realitatea ilustrată (“The Illustrated Reality”), Cuvântul liber (“The Free Word”), L'independance roumaine, The National Geographic Magazine, etc.

Berman collaborated with Dimitrie Gusti's Institute of Sociology. He was the author of the vast majority of photographs from monographic surveys conducted by Romanian sociologists in Romanian villages. Due to Berman’s work, unique aspects of the interwar Romanian village were documented.

During the rule of the right and especially after the adoption of the anti-Jewish legislation of 1940, Berman suffered, his property was confiscated and his studio was closed. Despite these obstacles, he continued to work, opened another workshop and sent photos to the New York Times and various London based magazines. He also collaborated with the Associated Press or the Scandinavian Newspaper Press.