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Shelley Berkley oral history interview
Oral history interview with Shelley Berkley conducted by Michael Geeser on January 9, 2006 for the I Remember When: Recollections from Las Vegas Jewish Leaders Oral History Project. Berkley talks about her career as a Jewish woman legislator, about growing up in Las Vegas, Nevada, and about issues such as Medicare, education, and Israel. She also answers questions from the audience.
Archival Collection
Audio clip from interview with Arlene Blut, May 28, 2015
In this clip, Arlene Blut discusses the Meadows Theater, a professional theater that she and Joan Snyder established in Las Vegas.
Sound
LVCJA Ball programs and planning documents, item 09
The schedule for the Combined Jewish Appeal Dinner at Caesars Palace on Thursday, May 29, 1975.
Sonja Saltman oral history interview
Oral history interview with Sonja Saltman conducted by Barbara Tabach on August 18, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Saltman describes being born and raised in the Lower Austrian town of Pottschach, post-World War II as an only child. She talks about her father who was in the German Air Force, and her grandfather who served during World War I and was forced to register as a Nazi. She then recalls her first impression of Las Vegas, Nevada. Saltman explains how she, a non-Jew married to a Jew, became involved in the Jewish community. She then reminisces about visiting Las Vegas and her dislike for the Strip but her enjoyment of the adventure.
Archival Collection
Transcript of interview with Kenny Epstein by Barbara Tabach, May 1, 2015
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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Biographical essay by Shirley Weiss, 2014
Shirley Weiss describes her childhood housed in army barracks in the ghetto in Beregszasz (Berehove), Hungary. She was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and several other camps, and eventually liberated from Terez?n in 1945. She came to the United States via Sweden.
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