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BERLIN, ḤAYYIM (1832–1912), Lithuanian rabbi, eldest son
of R. Naphtali Ẓevi Judah *Berlin, head of the yeshivah at
Volozhin for some 40 years. Ḥayyim Berlin received his education
from his father and became conversant with all aspects
of rabbinic literature as well as being well versed in Jewish
subjects. At the age of 17 he married into the wealthy Zeitlin
family of Shklov (see Zeitlin, *Joshua), and later used part of
his wealth to amass an excellent library which was acquired by
the Yeshivat *Eẓ Ḥayyim of Jerusalem after his death.
In 1865 Berlin became the rabbi of Moscow. In 1889 he
returned to Volozhin at the request of his aged father, who
wanted his son to succeed him as head of the yeshivah. However,
he was opposed by many of the Volozhin yeshivah students,
who favored the election of his niece’s husband, R.
Ḥayyim *Soloveichik, who was renowned for his unique analytical
approach to talmudic study. The controversy soon
ended with the forced closing of the school by the Russian
government on January 22, 1892.
With the closing of the yeshivah, Berlin became the rabbi
of Yelizavetgrad (*Kirovograd), where he remained until 1906,
when he settled in Jerusalem. His erudition, family heritage,
and patriarchal appearance gained for him a leading role on
the Jerusalem scene, and in 1909 he was elected to succeed
R. Samuel *Salant as chief rabbi of the Ashkenazi community
of Jerusalem.
R. Meir *Bar-Ilan (Berlin), who was nearly 50 years his
junior, was his half-brother.
Bibliography: M. Bar-Ilan, Mi-Volozhin ad Yerushalayim,
(1971), 314–24; ibid., 2 (1971), 632; S.K. Mirsky (ed.), Mosedot Torah
be-Eiropah be-Vinyanam u-ve-Ḥurbanam (1956), 72–74; E. Leoni (ed.),
Sefer Volozhin (1970), 155ff.
[Aaron Rothkoff]
BERLIN (Baline), IRVING (Israel; 1888–1989), U.S. popular
songwriter. Berlin was born in Kirghizia, Russia, the son
of a cantor, and was taken to New York in 1893. His first regular
job was as a “singing waiter,” and it was then that he wrote
the lyrics of his first song “Marie from Sunny Italy” in 1907.
His second song, “Dorando” (1908), brought him $25 and a
job with a music company. He became a partner in the firm
and later established his own music publishing house. Berlin
had no musical training and never learned to read music. His
technique remained primitive, and when he composed at the
piano he did it only in one key; modulations were effected by
a special set of pedals. After composing a tune, Berlin either
sang or played it for an assistant, who would then transcribe
it into musical notation.
His first big success was the song “Alexander’s Ragtime
Band” (1911), which sold more than a million copies in just a
matter of months. His melodies, for which he wrote the lyrics,
were infectious, sentimental, and have maintained their
popularity. He composed more than 1,000 songs, 19 musicals,
and the scores for 18 movies. Among his most popular songs
are “White Christmas,” “Easter Parade,” “There’s No Business
Like Show Business,” “Blue Skies,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “Cheek
berlin, irving
to Cheek,” “Say It with Music,” “What’ll I Do?” “A Pretty Girl
Is Like a Melody,” and “Always.” Films for which he wrote the
songs include The Cocoanuts (1929), Puttin’ on the Ritz (1930),
Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), On the Avenue (1937),
Holiday Inn (1942), Easter Parade (1948), and White Christmas
(1954). Among the Broadway shows for which he wrote the
music, the best known are Annie Get Your Gun (1946) and Call
Me Madam (1950). Among his many awards were an Academy
Award for Best Original Song for “White Christmas” in 1942
and a special Tony Award in 1963.
As such a prolific writer and the rare combination of
both a composer and a lyricist, Berlin was haunted all his life
by the rumor that his songs were written by other people or
were plagiarized from other material. Many people thought
it was impossible for one person to write as many songs in as
many styles as he did or for an untrained musician to write so
many works of genius. But no evidence has ever been found
that he ever plagiarized anything.
In 1918 Berlin wrote the stirring “God Bless America,”
which he revamped two decades later as war loomed large
over Europe. Kate Smith sang it on her radio broadcast on
Armistice Day in 1938, and the song was an immediate sensation.
It sold millions of copies, won numerous awards, earned
immense royalties, and threatened to replace the national anthem
because of its patriotism and popularity. Berlin donated
all the royalties from the song to the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts,
and Campfire Girls, saying that he refused to capitalize on patriotism.
He composed numerous other patriotic songs during
the war that benefited the Navy Relief, Red Cross, March
of Dimes, and Bond Drives and contributed all the royalties
to war charities.
His altruistic acts were acknowledged with such accolades
as the Army’s Medal of Merit from President Truman
in 1945; a Congressional Gold Medal for “God Bless
America” and other patriotic songs from President Eisenhower
in 1955; and the Freedom Medal from President Ford
in 1977.
Berlin also supported Jewish charities and organizations
and donated generously to worthy causes. In 1944 he
was honored by the National Conference of Christians and
Jews for “advancing the aims of the Conference to eliminate
religious and racial conflict.” Five years later, he was honored
by the New York YMHA as one of “12 outstanding Americans
of the Jewish faith.”
In 2002, the U.S. Army at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, named
the Army Entertainment Division (AED) World Headquarters
“The Irving Berlin Center” in his honor. Also that year he was
commemorated on a U.S. postage stamp.
An intuitive businessman, Berlin was a co-founder of
ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers),
founder of his own music publishing company, and
with producer Sam Harris, builder of his own Broadway theatre,
The Music Box.
Bibliography: A. Woollcott, Story of Irving Berlin (1925); D.
Ewen, Story of Irving Berlin (1950); Baker, Biog Dict; Sendrey, Music,
ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 3 455