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January 3, 2020

Irving Berlin’s Contribution to America’s Nondenominational Civil Religion

How Jewish was the creator of the Great American Songbook?

Born in the Siberian city of Tyumen in 1888, Israel Baline came to the U.S. at age five, later took the name Irving Berlin, and rose to stardom in 1911 when his composition “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” became a hit. From then on, he was one of most influential songwriters in the U.S., if not in the world. Stephen Whitfield, reviewing James Kaplan’s recent biography of Berlin, considers to what extent, if any, Berlin’s Jewish background influenced his work:

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January 3, 2020

  1. Why Israel’s Constitution Is to Blame for Its Current Political Crisis

    Proportional representation encourages instability and unaccountability.

  2. How to Protect New York’s Jews

    Deterrence, appropriate punishments, and self-defense.

  3. The U.S. and the Iraqi People Have a Common Enemy in Tehran

    And also in Baghdad.

  4. A Celebration of the Enduring Power of Jewish Learning at the Meadowlands Stadium

    Daf yomi.

  5. Irving Berlin’s Contribution to America’s Nondenominational Civil Religion

    How Jewish was the creator of the Great American Songbook?