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| OHCC LIVING | MAY 2026 | 35 Yiddish Club Jewish Inuences On American Music American popular music has always been an amalgam of many dierent inuences. e variety of ethnic and racial groups which comprise the nation's population and culture all brought their unique voices to our nation's music. It is therefore no surprise that Jews have had a signicant impact in this eld. In the early 20th century, popular music was transformed by the Jewish composers who frequented what was known as Tin Pan Alley in New York City. ey blended European operatic forms, cantorial music, Yiddish theater traditions and jazz. Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, and Jerome Kern were the most well-known of these creators. e composers worked in multiple genres. Kern wrote for Broadway (Showboat), lm (Swing Time) and symphonic music (e Mark Twain Suite). As jazz grew from its African American southern roots, Jewish musicians like Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Stan Getz and Buddy Rich were pioneers. ey integrated their bands at a time when racial segregation was standard and also oen infused klezmer musical techniques into the improvisational nature of jazz. Of course, the rst "talkie," e Jazz Singer, fused Jewish identity and jazz music and brought it into mainstream popular culture. George Gershwin was a bridge between jazz and symphonic music with his innovative Rhapsody in Blue and Porgy and Bess. e 1950s and 1960s saw the rise of singer/songwriters and folk music. e famous Brill Building (NYC) was the training ground for future stars including Carole King, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka and Paul Simon. ey, oen with partners, wrote songs made popular by others, and then became famous in their own right. e folk scene was also heavily populated by Jews. Bob Dylan and Paul Simon were identied as folk singers before they transitioned to rock and roll. Peter Yarrow, Peter, Paul and Mary, Leonard Cohen and Phil Ochs remained strongly connected as folk singers throughout their careers. ese artists incorporated many Jewish themes surrounding social justice with their 1960s protest songs. Finally, modern Broadway is lled with shows by Jewish composers, who explored themes of identity, anxiety, and belonging: Jason Robert Brown (Parade), Benji Pasek (Dear Evan Hansen), Steven Schwartz (Wicked), Alan Mencken (Beauty and the Beast), and Stephen Sondheim (Company). Save e Date: June 28, time to be announced, for a special lm presentation. Open to all OHCC. Submitted by Rob Ganz