Born Israel Isidore Beilin in 1888 in Tyumen, Russia, Irving Berlin immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 5 years old. As was the case for so many other immigrant families at the time--especially eastern European Jewish families--the Beilin's were not so much seeking out America, as they were fleeing a homeland that did not want them. But having arrived here they proceeded, again like so many others, to become Americans as soon and as fully as possible. Indeed, Israel Beilin's own path left him one of the clearest American voices of his century: indeed, through classics like "God Bless America", "White Christmas" and many more Irving Berlin helped articulate what it means to be an American almost better than anyone else.