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Transcript of interview with Kenny Epstein by Barbara Tabach, May 1, 2015

Date
2015-05-01
Description

On a pleasant spring evening at sundown in April 2017, a Pop-Up Shabbat draws a crowd of Jews to the Jackie Gaughan Parkway at the El Cortez Hotel & Casino. Proudly, and quietly, watching from the sideline is Kenny Epstein, owner of the El Cortez. He seeks no recognition, but is enjoying the gathering for Sabbath services and the music that will fill the air. Kenny Epstein is also a classic enthusiast of Las Vegas history. The nostalgia is evident as one walks through the casino and reinforced by the stories of a man who has experienced the city’s growth since moving here in 1959 at the age of 18. The timeline of Kenny’s teen years begins with his bar mitzvah in Chicago and a story of prizefighter Rocky Marciano giving a brief toast. When he was 15, his parents, Ike and Adele Epstein, took the family to visit Las Vegas. About three years later, his father became an executive at the Stardust. Kenny’s own imprint on Las Vegas history was just beginning. In this brief interview, he mentions an illustrious list of mentors and recalls many historic moments from the history of the Las Vegas Strip. All of which led to his ownership of The El Cortez—advertised as the longest continuously operating hotel/casino.

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Jolie Brislin oral history interview: transcript

Date
2017-04-21
Description

Oral history interview with Jolie Brislin conducted by Barbara Tabach on April 21, 2017 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Brislin discusses her family background and upbringing in Redwood City, California. She remembers moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991, her involvement in the Jewish community, and going on a trip to Israel. Brislin talks about joining the Anti-Defamation League, becoming the Regional Director of the organization in 2015, and her mentors at the time. Lastly, Brislin discusses the rise of hate acts towards minority groups across the country, and the issue of cyber-bullying.

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Transcript of interview with Norma Friedman by Barbara Tabach, November 19, 2015 and April 06, 2016

Date
2015-11-19 to 2016-04-06
Description

It was a scorching Fourth of July, when Norma (n?e Adler) and Leon Friedman rolled into their new home of Las Vegas in 1973. Nevertheless, they were content with leaving Gary, Indiana behind, and starting fresh with the family?s new ownership of Walker Furniture. Norma recalls her first stop in checking out Las Vegas was to visit the synagogue ? Temple Beth Sholom being the only option. Her oldest son would soon become a bar mitzvah. Feeling good about that, she and her sister-in-law who was also relocating to Las Vegas for the furniture business, searched for new homes. Norma settled into the community through volunteer work as well as through employment outside the family business. She worked in the real estate briefly and in a jewelry store at the Dunes. A natural organizer, she immersed herself in religious and civic organizations including the Jewish Federation, Jewish Family Service Agency, and volunteering at Selma Bartlett Elementary School in Henderson. Norma shares stories of her Jewish heritage and upbringing in Pittsburgh, the decision to move to Las Vegas, making fast friendships during her life in Las Vegas and the joy she has in traveling the world with Leon, who passed in 2004. In 2017, Norma was honored by the Jewish Family Service Agency.

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Transcript of interview with Daryl Morris by Barbara Tabach, February 16, 2016

Date
2016-02-16
Description

Daryl Morris discusses growing up in Las Vegas and his love of acting.

Daryl Morris is a native of Las Vegas. Born in 1961, he is one of three sons born to Paula and Bobby Morris. He recalls his childhood of the 1960s and 1970s with great fondness of the fast friendships formed within the Jewish community. His day job is in insurance, but his great love is for acting. He tells of being smitten at the age of 11 and taking acting lessons as a youngster and then later studying with actor Jeff Goldblum. He has an impressive list of films in which he has appeared, including the opening scene of Mall Cop 2. He enjoys voice-over acting and teaching acting classes. He also tells about his Navy service, attending UNLV, and coming to settle in Las Vegas-the place he calls home. Daryl also participated in the January 31, 2016, Growing Up Jewish in Las Vegas panel discussion for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project.

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Mara Braun interview, September 9, 2019: transcript

Date
2019-09-09
Description

Interviewed by Barbara Tabach. Mara Braun, a native of Puerto Rico, has lived in Las Vegas since 1975. She is the owner/operator of a successful event and catering business. Mara married Abe Braun and raised their children in both Latinx and Jewish traditions.

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Minutes from Temple Beth Sholom Board of Directors meetings, June 1999 - December 1999

Date
1999
Description

Meeting minutes include reports from committees of the board, correspondence, and balance sheets.

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Transcript of interview with Jerry Fox by Barbara Tabach, November 12, 2014

Date
2014-11-12
Description

Interview with Jerry Fox by Barbara Tabach on November 12, 2014. In this interview, Fox discusses his father's restaurant, Foxy's Delicatessen, which opened on the Las Vegas Strip in the 1950s, and his own business endeavors including the Tinder Box and an embroidery business.

Jerry Fox grew up in Los Angeles until his family moved to Las Vegas in February 1955, where his father opened Foxy's Delicatessen, the city's first Jewish deli. Jerry would go on to follow in his father's entrepreneurial footsteps, operating several ventures across different industries, including his own restaurant, Foxy Dog. Jerry sold Foxy Dog in 1975 after going through a divorce, the same year that Foxy's Deli closed.

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Transcript of interview with Michael Saltman by Barbara Tabach, December 16, 2014

Date
2014-12-16
Description

In this interview, Michael Saltman recounts his family background, his schooling in Michigan, and living abroad in London and Munich. His travels to Israel in 1968 reinforced his connection to Judaism. Saltman and his wife, Sonja, moved to Las Vegas in 1975 and he began working with Larry Larkin, who eventually became his partner. He discusses several projects he completed with Larkin, including shopping centers and apartment complexes. He talks about the changes in Las Vegas that came about from the availability of financing from legitimate sources, and the population growth of the area. He then talks about his involvement in the local Jewish community with the Jewish Federation, Anti-Defamation League and Congregation Ner Tamid.

In 1942, Michael Saltman, the son of a rugged Canadian entrepreneur and of an educator, was born in Flint, Michigan. Michael spent a fulfilling childhood in Flint, where his family was involved in the Jewish community, even helping start a new temple. However, his life changed dramatically when his father passed away during his teenage years. At his mother's insistence, Michael went to law school after graduating from Michigan State University, and received his Juris doctor from Wayne State University. From Detroit, Michael headed to London to participate in an LL.M. program, though he quickly withdrew and landed a position with a life insurance and investment company in London. Michael soon relocated to the company's Geneva office, where his job included establishing operations in Israel. It was during these trips that he more intensely connected with Judaism and his Jewish identity. Michael left the company to join a former colleague at Shareholders Capital Corporation, where he met his wife Sonja. The couple moved to Munich, where they lived until 1975, until moving to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Michael became a successful real estate developer. His projects include apartments, shopping centers and office parks, like Village Apartments, Campus Village Shopping Center and Renaissance Center. He later opened Food 4 Less grocery stores in Nevada, Utah and California, eventually buying the Kansas-based company from Lou Falley. He and his partner later sold the company to Kroger. Michael served on the local Jewish Federation's board of directors, and Sonja is a longtime board member for the Anti-Defamation League's regional office in Las Vegas. In 2003, Michael and Sonja co-founded the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution within William S. Boyd School of Law. Michael's other efforts to promote peaceful conflict resolution include the production of Streetball Hafla, a movie shot in Israel about Jewish and Palestinian teenagers interacting in basketball camp.

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Temple Beth Sholom

Temple Beth Sholom was the first Jewish congregation in Southern Nevada and continues to function as a religious, educational, and social center for a considerable portion of the Jewish community of Las Vegas. Previously known as the Jewish Community Center of Las Vegas, it became affiliated with the Conservative Movement and officially known as Temple Beth Sholom in 1958. The congregation originated in Las Vegas in the 1930s with a small group of families and grew to be the largest temple in Nevada during the 1960s.

Michael Green oral history interview: transcript

Date
2018-02-26
2018-04-04
Description

Oral history interviews with Michael Green conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 26, 2018 and April 04, 2018 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In the first interview, Green discusses his family background and growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada. He talks about his Jewish ancestry and the significance of religious communities in Las Vegas. In the second interview, Green discusses the growth of the Jewish community in Las Vegas, and the history of the Jewish heritage in Southern Nevada.

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