In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, we continue to recognize the economic, cultural, political, and social contributions of notable immigrants and refugees who helped shape America’s vibrant tapestry. Today, we highlight the prolific Russian American composer, Irving Berlin.
Irving Berlin was born in Russia in 1888. At just five years old, he and his family, immigrated to New York while fleeing the persecution of the Jewish community. There, he first worked as a street singer before soon finding employment as a singing waiter as a teenager. At just 19, he published his first song, titled Marie from Sunny Italy.
Two years later, Berlin joined the publishing company Waterson & Snyder as a lyricist. His 1911 hit song Alexander’s Ragtime Band, a follow-up to his previous composition Alexander and His Clarinet, earned him the nickname “King of Tin Pan Alley,” alluding to his respected place among leading music publishers of the time. A self-taught pianist, Berlin never learned to read music. Instead, he worked with a special transcribing keyboard and assistants to transcribe his tunes into various keys.
Regardless, Berlin successfully composed dozens of published songs by the 1920s. Soon, he took his talents to Broadway, where he debuted Watch Your Step in 1914. Irving Berlin became a naturalized citizen in 1916, served in World War I, and wrote his musical, Yip! Yip! Yaphank! as a fundraiser for the U.S. Army.
In 1914. Berlin became a charter member of the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. Five years later, he took full control of his copyrights after launching the Irving Berlin Music Corporation. In all, Berlin composed more than 1,500 songs for every mood and every occasion while also writing for dozens of musicals and films.
Berlin’s most notable works on the silver screen include Easter Parade and Holiday Inn, featuring Bing Crosby singing White Christmas. He’s also credited with writing songs that fueled some of the most iconic moments in American cinematic history – they include performances by Nat King Cole singing Blue Skies and Judy Garland singing What’ll I Do. Additionally, Fred Astaire danced to his work, as did Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle with Puttin’ On the Ritz in Young Frankenstein.
Irving Berlin’s work earned him nine Academy Award nominations, while he took home the win for 1943’s White Christmas. In 1977, he was awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Gerald Ford. Berlin passed away in 1989.
Others we are celebrating in honor of Jewish American Heritage Month:
2025
Ralph Henry Baer, German American inventor and engineer
Emma Goldman, Russian American, pioneer for women’s rights
Emile Berliner, German American inventor and innovator,
