Israeli journalist, screenwriter, columnist and satirist Michael Brizon, known as B. Michael, died at the age of 77 on Wednesday.
"This is a great loss. B. Michael was among the top five giants of entertainment. We were close for 52 years. Aside from his wife, I was the person he spent the most time with," said his longtime partner and creative associate Ephraim Sidon.
“He came from a very moderate religious home in Tel Aviv. Many leaders of [religious Zionist political movement] Gush Emunim were his classmates and he didn't like them. Though he remained religious, in recent years he stopped wearing a kippah so he wouldn’t be identified as 'part of a crime or settler family,' as he put it.”
"When he moved to Jerusalem to study law, he adopted the pen name B. Michael so his conservative father wouldn’t recognize his writing. I think he contributed immensely to Israeli culture, satire and journalism,” he added.
“He was extremely funny despite his serious demeanor. This is a huge loss for me and many others. He stayed true to his principles, even when they were unpopular. His last column was published Tuesday — it’s not easy reading but it’s as sharp and biting as ever."
Kobi Niv, another former associate of Brizon from their time in the satirical outfit Zoaretz Gang, also eulogized the late writer. "In 1971, I suggested a satirical section for the student newspaper. Editor Avraham Gal, who was studying law, said, 'There's someone in our class — he's religious, but he's okay.' That’s how I met Michael Brizon, who wrote under B. Michael so his religious parents wouldn’t know their son had become a 'traitor to Israel.' The name stuck.”
"We became close friends, lived together in a rented apartment, created Zoaretz and traveled for months in the U.S. and northern Europe. Later, we went our separate ways, and now, he passed away,” he added.
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"B. Michael was incredibly talented, a brilliant, sharp and sometimes blunt writer, but always full of humor. What a loss," wrote former diaspora affairs minister Nachman Shai. "We really do 'see the end'... it's terrible," added Miki Gurion. "He passed away suddenly and left us orphaned."
Michael Brizon was born in Tel Aviv in 1947 to a wealthy religious family. In the 1970s, he joined the Sachbak group—comprising Brizon, Niv, Sidon and Hanoch Marmari—who met while writing for the Hebrew University’s student newspaper. Their humor was bold and irreverent.
The group also collaborated with legendary media personality and documentarian Moti Kirschenbaum on the satirical TV show Nikuy Rosh. Brizon co-wrote other Israeli classics with Sidon, including Krovim Krovim and Zehu Ze!
In 2010, he reunited with Sidon and Kirschenbaum to write a play. Another reunion came in 2015 with the satirical show Ro'im Et HaSof (Seeing the End). That year, he also staged a one-man satire show at Khan Theater in Jerusalem.
Beyond screenwriting, Brizon was a columnist for Ynet's sister publication Yedioth Ahronoth for 15 years and wrote for daily newspaper Haaretz for many years. His last column was published two days before his passing. He was known for his liberal political views and frequently criticized the Israeli government, the right-wing and West Bank settlements, drawing significant criticism.