The Great Irving Berlin

1. The Great Irving Berlin By Adam Rosenstein

2. Introduction • Born on May 11, 1888 • Born in Russia • Youngest of 8 kids • Jewish • Name was Israel Beilin before he came to America • Loved music as a kid

3. Why he left Russia what his life was like before he left Irving Berlin left because the government was against Jewish people. When he was five, government soldiers burnt down his house because he was Jewish. This is the only thing Irving remembers from when he lived in Russia. Irving’s dad Moses decided to move his family to America because it was too expensive to rebuild their house. They came to get away from the Russian government who was against them and because they heard that it would be easier to make money and they would have a better life in America.

4. When Irving immigrated and how he got to America? Irving’s dad saved money to make the journey to the USA. They traveled across Europe to get to Belgium and they boarded the ship SS Rhynland there. It cost $35 for each person. They left on September 12, 1893 and arrived at New York Harbor on September 23, 1893.

5. Challenges in the United States When Irving came, his family only spoke Yiddish and the Americans spoke English. Another challenge was that they were poor so everyone in their family had to work to earn money. They lived in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, which was a poor, noisy, and overcrowded neighborhood where thousands of immigrant families lived.

6. Overcoming Challenges in the USA Everyone in his family worked very hard to earn money. Irving’s job was a paper boy and he didn’t earn a lot of money. He tried to act like he was American. He learned English at school when he was seven. At school he sang to himself.

7. How Irving Contributed to American Culture Irving was a musician. He went to a bar one night when he was an grownup and he saw there was a piano and a dance floor. The bar was looking for a someone to play music one night. He performed there once and after he started going to bars and playing the piano at night. Then he was offered a job as a musician but he turned it down to work in a Chinese restaurant but he was always thinking about music. He decided to work at the restaurant and play songs. Then he began to work with another musician named Nick and they played music together.

8. Favorite Fact Irving Berlin could sing songs in German, Irish, and Italian when he was a kid and he knew them by heart.

9. Word Search Word List • ATTACK • ELLIS ISLAND • IMMIGRANT • IRVING BERLIN • JEWISH • MANHATTAN • MOSES • MUSICIAN • NEW YORK • NICK • PAPER BOY • PIANO • POOR • RUSSIA • SS RHYNLAND • YIDDISH

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