The L. F. Manis Photographs contain photographic prints, photographic slides, and photographic negatives depicting Southern Nevada from approximately 1900 to 1969, with a bulk of the materials dating from 1930 to 1940. The photographs primarily depict the construction, dedication, and various parts of the Hoover (Boulder) Dam, including the dam's upstream and downstream faces, intake towers, spillways, bridges, crest, outlet works, visitors' accommodations, and powerhouse. The photographs also depict Lake Mead, the reservoir created by the Hoover Dam, and the Colorado River, which is dammed by the Hoover Dam. The photographs also include views of desert landscapes in the Southwestern United States, including in Nevada, Arizona, and Southern California. Also depicted in the photographs are the cities of Las Vegas, Nevada and Boulder City, Nevada, including prominent buildings like hotels, casinos, government buildings, and train depots.
Archival Collection
Hershel Brooks was born December 3, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in an orthodox Jewish household, along with his four siblings, and attended Jewish community schools before pursuing his rabbinical studies. He studied at TelsheYeshiva in Cleveland, Torah Vodaath in New York, and Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Before assuming his first rabbinical position, Brooks married his wife, Alma, and graduated with his BA from the University of Miami. He was first hired by a conservative congregation in Miami, and subsequently led congregations in Savannah, Georgia, Greensboro, North Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Eventually, he joined a temple in Anaheim, California, where he served for twenty years. In 1996, Brooks retired to Las Vegas. He was soon asked to lead services at Temple Bet Knesset Bamidbar [BKB] twice a month as its rabbi. He still is active at BKB, though he retired in 2011. In this interview, Brooks reflects on his family background and the path that lead to his becoming a rabbi in the Conservative Jewish Movement. He talks about his career, including his involvement with BKB as well as other Jewish community service, including facilitating adult bar mitzvah classes and serving on the local Rabbinical court of Judaism, known as Bet Din.
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