Chaim Icyk Bermant (26 February 192920 January 1998) was a British-based journalist, and author. Born in Braslav,

Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...

, he spent much of his childhood in Barovke,

Latvia Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...

, and Scotland. He was educated at

Queen's Park Secondary School Queen's Park Secondary School was a secondary school in Glasgow, Scotland. History Queen's Park School was built in 1873 for the ''Cathcart Parish School Board'' and opened officially in 1876, with the original building located on Grange Road in ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...

Glasgow University , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

, where he graduated in economics, and the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

. He contributed regularly to ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' and occasionally to the national press, particularly ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...

''. An

Orthodox Jew Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses on ...

and supporter of

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, he was freely critical of both. He wrote several novels and non-fiction works, mostly on the quirks of British Jewish society.

Biography

Chaim Icyk Bermant was born on 26 February 1929 in Breslev,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. His father was a

Rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

. Bermant studied at the

University of Glasgow , image = UofG Coat of Arms.png , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms Flag , latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis , motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita , ...

and the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 milli ...

. Bermant married Judith Rose Weil on 16 December 1962 at Adath Israel Synagogue in

Stoke Newington Stoke Newington is an area occupying the north-west part of the London Borough of Hackney in north-east London, England. It is northeast of Charing Cross. The Manor of Stoke Newington gave its name to Stoke Newington the ancient parish. The ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Together they had four children: Aliza, Evie, Azriel and Daniel Bermant. Bermant died on 20 January 1998 in

Hampstead Garden Suburb Hampstead Garden Suburb is an elevated suburb of London, north of Hampstead, west of Highgate and east of Golders Green. It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations. It is an example of early twentie ...

, London from a

myocardial infarction A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Works

Fiction

*''Belshazzar'' *''Ben Preserve Us'' *''Berl Make Tea'' *''The Companion'' *''Dancing Bear'' *''Diary Of An Old Man'' *''Here Endeth The Lesson'' *''House Of Women'' *''Jericho Sleep Alone'' *''The Last Supper'' *''Now Dowager'' *''Now Newman Was Old'' *''The Patriarch'' *''Roses are Blooming in Picardy'' *''The Squire Of Bor Shachor'' *''The Second Mrs Whitberg'' *''Swinging In The Rain'' *''Titch'' *''The Walled Garden''

Non-fiction

*''The Cousinhood'' *''Ebla'' *''Israel'' *''Murmurings of A Licensed Heretic'' *''On The Other Hand'' *''The Jews'' *''London's East End: Point of Arrival'' *''Lord Jacobovits: an Authorised Biography of the Chief Rabbi'' *''Troubled Eden: An Anatomy of British Jewry'' *''What's the Joke: A Study of Jewish Humour through the Ages''

Autobiography

*''Genesis: A Latvian Childhood'' *''Coming Home''

References

External links

Family website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bermant, Chaim 1929 births 1998 deaths Scottish journalists Scottish novelists Scottish Jews Scottish Jewish writers Latvian Jews 20th-century British novelists