BERMAN Origin of surname
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a patronymic, derived from a male ancestor's personal name, in this case of biblical origin.
Berman means "bear man" in German and Yiddish. Ber, which means "bear" in Yiddish, can stand alone or have derivative forms like Berl, Berko. It also gave rise to family names like Berlin and Berkowitz. In some cases Berman is derived from the Hebrew Dov ("bear"), which is the traditional nickname of the biblical male personal name Issachar. In his blessings to his sons Jacob compares Issachar to a large-boned ass, a symbol of hard work and strength (Genesis 49.14). Because 'donkey' was a derisive term in Europe, the Jews living there replaced it with another animal embodying great strength and endurance, the bear, whose old German name is linked to 'man, hero and prince'. In some cases Berman is derived from a medieval house-sign, as for example in the Jewish quarter (Judengasse) of medieval Frankfurt am Main, Germany, where each house had a sign, usually an animal or a flower. With time, many of the signs became fixed hereditary family names. One house was signed 'Zum Goldenen Baeren' ("to the Golden Bear"). The Jewish surname Baer is documented in the city since the early 16th century. Other related family names: Beer is documented in the 15th century in Italy with the scholar Benjamin Ben Elijahu Beer; Baer is recorded in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1530; Bermann in 1548 in Hesse, Germany; Behrmann in the German town of Fuerth in 1708; Behr in Westhoffen, eastern France, in 1720; Baer in Paris in 1756; Baehr, Berr and Ber in France at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th century. Berlis a diminutive of Baer; Berkin; Ber; Baer; Berner; Berish.
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Berman include the Russian educator publisher and author, Lasar Berman (1830-1893); the 20th century American endocrinologist and author, Louis Berman; the English-born American astronomer, Louis Berman; and Avraham (Adolf) Berman, born 1906 in Poland, who participated in the organization of the Warsaw ghetto uprising.
Yaakov Berman
(Personality)Yaakov Berman (1878-1974), rabbi, born in Salantai, Lithuania (then part of the Russian Empire). He studied in Telz Yeshiva and law in St. Petersburg University. An early Zionist, he participated in the founding conference of the Mizrachi movement where he lectured on the need to modernize yeshivot. He himself headed a yeshiva in Odessa and was rabbi in Berdichev where he worked to aid refugees during and after World War I. In 1921 he moved to Eretz Israel where he headed Mizrachi religious education and he continued his activities in religious education after the foundation of the State of Israel. In 1968 Berman was awarded the Israel Prize for education.
Iosif Berman
(Personality)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.
Rena Berhman
(Personality)Rena (Renata) Berhman nee Eliasohn (1910-2017), community leader and Zionist, founder of the first WIZO group for young women in Britain, born in Riga, Latvia (then part of the Russian Empire). During WW I, the family moved to St Petersburg, Russia, in 1915 and then returned to Riga fleeing the Russian Revolution. In 1926 she was brought to London, Britain. Berhman studied for a Diploma in Journalism at the London School of Economics. This was followed by a sojourn of six months in the Land of Israel for learning Hebrew. She worked on a kibbutz and served as interpreter for visiting British officials. After a short period of time in Riga, where she established a Zionist group affiliated to Young WIZO in Vienna, Berhman returned to Britain settling in London. During WW II, along with Rebecca Sieff and Elaine Blonde she was instrumental in getting permission to bring to Britain one thousand young Jews to replace farm workers who had been drafted into the army and later served as a nurse in hospitals in London and Wales.
After WW II, Berhman was active in helping to bring to the Land of Israel Jewish orphans. She was active more than 60 years in WIZO, after the establishment of the State of Israel, she became the first Tourist Chairman of WIZO in Britain, holding the post for 25 years, and also she served as Vice President of WIZO UK. In recognition of her Zionist activities, she was awarded the Jerusalem Medal.