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Kathleen Kahn Mahon oral history interview
Oral history interview with Kathleen Kahn Mahon conducted by Barbara Tabach on December 03, 2018 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Mahon discusses her family’s upbringing in New Mexico and talks about her Jewish education as a child. Mahon describes her family’s role in the founding of Congregation Albert in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She then talks about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1980, taking on a pediatric ophthalmologist position, and being involved in the pediatric community. Mahon recalls becoming the first female president of the Nevada Chapter of the American College of Surgeons and her involvement with the Junior League of Las Vegas. Lastly, Mahon discusses the Ronald McDonald House, the Pediatric Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and being a founding member of the Children's Discovery Museum.
Archival Collection
Transcript of interview with Gene Greenberg by Barbara Tabach, February 12, 2015
In 1976, Gene Greenberg decided to accept a job transfer with Donrey Media Group and relocated from Laredo, Texas to Las Vegas. Las Vegas was comfortable fit and for the next 30 years, he primarily worked in television ad sales. He rose to become executive vice president and general manager of KVBC-TV. Significant to Gene’s ties to Las Vegas have been his ties to the Jewish community. This oral history includes reminiscences of connecting with the Jewish community and meeting many of the Jewish leaders through Young Leadership, Jewish Federation, and being on the board for Temple Beth Sholom. The most poignant aspect to his Jewish roots is the survival of both his parents during Holocaust. Both Helen and Abe Greenberg were from Lodz, Poland and interred in concentration camps. Gene is a frequent presenter of their story for his commitment to Holocaust education and as a member of the next generation. Gene and his wife Melanie both spent their childhoods in Kansas City, Missouri and are graduates of the University of Missouri-Kansas City. They married in 1970 and have three children: Sari Mann, Elissa Burda, and Jaron Greenberg.
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Transcript of interview with Flora Mason by Barbara Tabach, December 8, 2014
Flora Mason (1940- ) is a Las Vegas, Nevada philanthropist and community leader. She was born Florica Esformes to a Sephardic Jewish parents who emigrated from Greece to New York. This Mediterranean influence can be seen in the meals she serves for the Jewish holidays. Flora?s grandfather had a pushcart business in New York and her father became a produce broker, which led the family to Miami, Florida. She graduated from high school in Miami and also met Stuart Mason there. The young couple married in 1958. They had been married for 58 years when Stuart passed away in 2012. In this oral history, Flora recalls her life?from witnessing signage that read: no blacks, no dogs, no Jews in the South to meeting her husband while a teenager to raising her three children in Las Vegas. Along the way, she has always found time to form fast friendships and to inspire productive community organizations. v For example, Flora and Stuart founded the Las Vegas Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation in 1970. It was a disease that their daughter Deborah had suffered from. They also established the Mason Undergraduate Peer Coach Program at University of Nevada, Las Vegas Libraries in 2006. Flora was the first woman elected by the general membership to serve on the Temple Beth Sholom Board of Directors. She has served on the National Board of Directors of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, been involved with the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, the Anti-Defamation League among many other Jewish and non-Jewish community organizations. Flora?s college education began at the University of Miami and focused on completing both her undergraduate and graduate degrees at UNLV, where she majored in English literature. She then became a lecturer in the UNLV English department from 1985 to 1993. Flora and Stuart Mason had three children: sons William and James who joined the family?s successful three-generation commercial construction business Taylor International, and daughter Deborah. In this oral history, Flora shares the joy of being a grandparent, her love of travel, and the opportunities of meeting Israeli dignitaries over the years. She also candidly reflects on dealing with grief and the Jewish rituals surrounding death.
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Rona and David Mendelson oral history interview
Oral history interview with Rona and David Mendelson conducted by Barbara Tabach on April 26, 2016 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Rona and David Mendelson describe moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1973 as a married couple and how they became board members of Congregation Ner Tamid, which led them to getting involved with the small and growing Jewish community. They discuss their activities and their current family ties within the Jewish community in Las Vegas. As educators, they also delve into their experiences with the school system in Southern Nevada and the discrimination they faced as Jewish educators and parents.
Archival Collection
Dorothy Eisenberg oral history interview
Oral history interview with Dorothy Eisenberg conducted by Barbara Tabach on October 23, 2014 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Eisenberg discusses her childhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during the Great Depression, her religious upbringing, and attending Hebrew school. She talks about her early passion for civic involvement, attending Temple University, and moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1964. Eisenberg then discusses Temple Beth Sholom Las Vegas, receiving a teaching certificate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and her involvement with the League of Women Voters. Lastly, Eisenberg recalls her participation with school desegregation, her involvement with the Public Education Foundation, and having a school named in her honor.
Archival Collection
Ellis Landau oral history interview
Oral history interview with Ellis Landau conducted by Barbara Tabach on November 28, 2017 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Landau discusses his education at Brandeis University, and Columbia Business School. He also talks about his involvement in the Las Vegas, Nevada Jewish community, the Temple Beth Sholom, working for Boyd Gaming, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Nathan Adelson Hospice.
Archival Collection
Schafer, Jared E., 1942-
Jared Shafer is a former board member of Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas, Nevada. He served as president of the congregation from 1984 to 1986 and also managed the temple's preschool. He moved to Las Vegas in 1944.
Roundtable Interview with Members of Temple Beth Sholom, 2015 January 14. OH-02459. Transcript. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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