Jerry Engel was born in 1930 in New Jersey and spent most of his early life in Long Beach, New York until the family moved westward to Las Angeles. Jerry is a retired Certified Public Accountant and loves to talk about the history of Las Vegas that he observed since arriving in 1953. That was the year that he moved to Las Vegas to join his older brothers, Morris and Phil, in their accounting firm. Their major client at the time was Desert Inn. Another personal connection with local history: the Engel brothers? mother, Esther Katz Engel, was among the early investors in the Moulin Rouge hotel/casino enterprise. Jerry graduated with honors from University of California, Los Angeles in 1951. His accounting career in Las Vegas is highly regarded and he continues to maintain a consulting practice. He remains active within the community and enjoys doing presentations based on his memories of Las Vegas history. Within this interview, Jerry highlights people, casinos and other observations of local history that he came into contact with over the decades. He provides insights about the role of an accountant in the gaming industry. He also discusses the influence of Jewish business leaders in and array of local gaming and non-gaming issues, including the retail world, Jim Crow era segregation, and the astonishing growth of the valley over six decades.
Text
Program booklet for the testimonial dinner held for Leo Wilner's retirement includes dedications from colleagues and friends.
Text
Meeting minutes include reports from committees of the board, correspondence, and balance sheets.
Text
The Jewish Nevada Records document the organization's philanthropic activities in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1978 to 2018. The majority of the collection represents the organization's activities under the name the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. The collection includes administrative files, annual reports, marketing materials, donation records, video recordings of interviews and events, and audio recordings of board meetings. The collection also includes photographic prints and negatives of events hosted by Jewish Nevada.
Archival Collection
Temple Beth Sholom invitation and program for the building dedication includes a guide to the Judaic art in the synagogue and a list of past presidents.
Text
This program has fundraising advertisements from community members, celebrities and performers in Las Vegas who supported the event that benefited the Variety Club.
Text
Interview with Stanley Hyman by Eleanor Doble on March 10, 1981. In this interview, Hyman discusses his job as a district manager for Farmers Insurance group, which brought him to Reno, Nevada in the 1940s, then to Las Vegas in 1951. He talks about the population growth of Las Vegas, and comments that the infrastructure of the city did not improve with the population growth. He also talks about some local disasters, the economy, entertainment, and the convention business in the area. He speaks briefly about recreation at Lake Mead and Mount Charleston, and atomic tests. The interviewer asks about women in leadership positions in hotels and in the insurance business.
Text
Joel Fleekop's senior honors thesis from Brandeis University titled: "Jews Wandering in the Desert: A History of the Jewish Community of Las Vegas."
Text
Meeting minutes include reports from committees of the board, correspondence, and balance sheets.
Text
