Israel

Irving Berlin’s “Israel” (1959) is one of his final and least-known songs, written near the end of a career that helped define American music. It reflects the composer’s own heritage and offers a quiet meditation on faith, identity, and belonging. In 1959, Irving Berlin composed “Israel”, one of his final works written more than fifty years after Alexander’s Ragtime Band. Rarely heard or performed, the song reflects Berlin’s lifelong connection to his Jewish heritage and the idea of a homeland for the Jewish people. Born Israel Beilin in 1888, Berlin changed his name as a young immigrant in New York but carried his heritage quietly throughout his career. In “Israel”, the name returns, perhaps as a final self-portrait, tying his own identity to the story of a nation reborn. Berlin reportedly felt uncertain about the song, partly because Al Jolson, a close friend and early champion of his work, had already composed an anthem for the new State of Israel a decade earlier. Meanwhile, Israel itself had formally adopted “Hatikvah” (“The Hope”) as its national anthem in 1948, based on a 19th-century melody that long symbolized Jewish aspiration. It is interesting to imagine that “Israel” rediscovered might one day enter popular parlance in the same way that “God Bless America” did, another Berlin composition originally written in 1918 and revived to fame in 1938, later becoming an unofficial American anthem during World War II. To prepare this performance, I contacted the Library of Congress to locate the original sheet music, and they kindly provided a copy from their archives. I first entered Berlin’s notation into a music program to hear the melody as he wrote it and study the structure. Much later, I worked out the chords by ear and arranged my own accompaniment. Berlin originally wrote “Israel” in E-flat; I have transposed it here to A for performance. Unlike his show tunes or film standards, “Israel” belongs to the private side of Berlin’s writing, reflective, spiritual, and deeply personal. Few recordings exist, and even fewer performances. Perhaps this song might yet be rediscovered, an anthem of solidarity and hope uniting the Jewish-American experience with the story of Israel. Israel. A man. A people. #IrvingBerlin #Israel #GreatAmericanSongbook #shorts