Roberta Gordon Kane
Roberta “Bobbie” Kane (1932 - ) is the first known Jewish child born in Las Vegas. Her parents, Sallie and Mike Gordon, owned liquor stores and are among the founders of the first Jewish congregation in Las Vegas. As a young girl, she was fully aware that “Friday nights were reserved for religious services. Saturdays were always reserved for gin rummy.”
Bobbie is a 1950 graduate of Las Vegas High School and briefly attended Southern California. When she returned several years later, she pursued a career with the Desert Inn group of hotels and helped open the Stardust in 1957.
Eventually, Bobbie moved to Honolulu, Hawaii, where she worked public relations for the Ilikai Hotel. She married Alex Kane in 1970 and continued to live in Hawaii. After over fifty years in Hawaii, she returned to Las Vegas and reconnected with the community that has changed so much since her birth.
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