An Orthodox rabbi speaking at a mass prayer rally on the National Mall on Sunday condemned antisemitism as “utterly un-American,” drawing applause as the only non-Christian speaker at the event.
Rabbi Meir Soloveichik leads Congregation Shearith Israel in New York City and is a senior fellow at the Tikvah Fund, the conservative Jewish think tank. He also sits on the Religious Liberty Commission that US President Donald Trump convened last year.
Soloveichik links ‘God Bless America’ to Jewish history
Speaking to the crowd gathered for a rally on the National Mall called “Rededicate 250,” which aims to place faith at the center of celebrations marking the United States’ 250th anniversary, Soloveichik described the Jewish history behind one of America’s most iconic songs.
“God Bless America” was written by Irving Berlin, who as a child witnessed his home village in Russia burned in a pogrom and later sought to thank the country that gave him refuge, Soloveichik said.
He noted that decades after writing the lyrics, Berlin revived the song as Nazi Germany expanded its ambitions in Europe in the late 1930s, premiering it on the radio the day after the Kristallnacht pogrom in 1938.
“At the very moment when darkness deepened abroad, America raised its voice, united in the song that Irving Berlin wrote,” Soloveichik said.
A few moments later, he added: “The prayer that is ‘God Bless America’ was carried by American soldiers who defeated evil, liberating Europe and the world. And it is a reminder, as hatred of Jews makes itself manifest again, that antisemitism is utterly un-American.”
Event draws mixed reactions from Jewish groups
The rally, along with Trump’s call for Jews to observe “Shabbat 250” the day before, drew mixed reactions from American Jews.
Some, particularly in the Orthodox Jewish world, welcomed efforts to promote Shabbat observance and public expressions of faith. Others argued that the events represented an inappropriate merging of religion and state, while also appropriating Jewish traditions in service of Christian nationalism.
Soloveichik did not directly address the controversy during his four-minute speech. However, he argued that the enduring popularity of “God Bless America” reflected a deeper element of American identity.
“The power and popularity of ‘God Bless America’ reveals to us,” he said, “that America’s passion for prayer and its love of liberty are always intertwined.”
Irving Berlin’s legacy extended beyond patriotic songs
In addition to “God Bless America,” Irving Berlin also wrote “White Christmas,” one of the most enduring Christmas songs in American culture.
Less widely known was an anti-lynching anthem Berlin wrote around the same period that “God Bless America” became nationally popular.
Berlin also dedicated songs to Ellin Mackay, the Catholic socialite he married in 1926 in an interfaith union that sparked national attention and tensions within their families.