Longtime Las Vegas architect Jon Sparer poses in the Sanctuary at Congregation Ner Tamid in Henderson. Sparer designed Ner Tamid's current location on the Greenspun Campus for Jewish Life, Learning, and Spiritual Renewal at 55 N. Valle Verde Drive.
Interview with Harry Sax by Barbara Tabach on April 8, 2015. In this interview, Sax discusses his family history and upbringing in Chicago, and his military service in Munich. He returned to Chicago and became business partners with Michael Schulson, with whom he opened several Arby's outposts, and expanded to Las Vegas in 1968. He talks about life in Las Vegas in the 1970s and the competition in the fast food industry. He then talks about the reform congregation in Chicago and his connection to Judaism throughout his life. He describes himself as a "closet Jew" before becoming president at Congregation Ner Tamid in 2007. Sax discusses the programs at Ner Tamid for all ages, and his continued involvement in the community.
In 1939, Harry Sax was born in Chicago, Illinois, the son to first generation American Jews. He spent his childhood on Chicago's South, where his family belonged to a progressive Reform congregation. After graduating from Hyde Park High School, he continued his education at Indiana University. In college, Harry was a member of the ZBT Jewish fraternity, participated in a singing group, and was a cadet in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. Upon graduating from college, Harry was stationed in Munich, Germany as a second lieutenant in the Quartermasters Corps. In addition to his required military duties, he also participated in an after-hours acting group; through this group, he was hired as an extra and for small roles, including The Great Escape. When he finished his service, Harry returned to Chicago, where he connected with a high school friend, Mike Schulson. The two became partners and purchased Arby's franchises in Chicago and Las Vegas. Thus, in 1968, while his partner remained in Chicago, Harry moved to Las Vegas and opened two franchise locations in two weeks. Though it took a few years to stabilize the business and overcome competition, he opened a third location in 1972 on South Decatur, what was then the western edge of the city. Today, Harry has nineteen locations in Las Vegas, with additional franchises in Reno and Barstow, California, and employs nearly 300 people. After about twenty years as a "closet Jew" in the city, Harry reconnected with Judaism and joined Congregation Ner Tamid in the late 1990s. He served on its board, eventually becoming vice president and then president (2007-09). He also dedicated himself to have a bar mitzvah, following up on his Jewish education and confirmation as a teenager. Harry has also served on the Anti-Defamation League's board as well as an active member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Oral history interview with Marla Letizia conducted by Barbara Tabach on August 26, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Letizia discusses living in Las Vegas, Nevada since the age of two. She talks about her activity in the Jewish community, owning the Letizia Agency with her husband, and the mobile billboards business.
Gilbert "Gil" Shaw in his Henderson home office. Retired from a military career with the US Navy and the US Coast Guard, Shaw photographed the construction of Congregation Ner Tamid facilities on Emerson Avenue and its current location at 55 N. Valle Verde Drive.
Janis Rounds is a travel agent and real estate agent who has lived in Las Vegas since 1963 and has been involved with the Las Vegas Jewish community in many important ways. This includes serving as a chairwomen of Women’s Philanthropy for the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, serving as secretary for the Board of Directors for the Federation, and serving on many other committees and board for the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. She has also worked with Congregation Ner Tamid where she was a board member from 1993-1998 and President of the Sisterhood Congregation of Ner Tamid.
Part of an interview with Jon Sparer, March 4, 2015. In this clip, architect Jon Sparer discusses his involvement with designing and building the synagogue for Congregation Ner Tamid.
In this interview, Letizia discusses her career, and breaking gender barriers in both broadcasting as well as in advertising. She also talks about how her family ended up settling in Las Vegas, and the evolution of her relationship with Judaism from childhood to adulthood, eventually leading to her leadership roles with Congregation Ner Tamid as well as Jewish Federation, where she is on the Board of Directors.
Marla R. Letizia is the founder of Big Traffic Mobile Billboards in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company operates mobile billboard advertising trucks and employs brand ambassadors to carry WOBI? walking billboards for retail, gaming, and entertainment clients such as Caesars entertainment, Tropicana, and Cirque Du Soleil. Letizia founded Big Traffic in 2001 after leaving a successful broadcast journalism career to raise her two children. She met her husband, Tom Letizia, while working at KLAS-TV Channel 8 as an assistant production manager. She later became the first female director of live television news broadcasts in Las Vegas at Channel 8. She also developed a TV show called "Las Vegas Turnaround" and a syndicated production called "The Parenting Network." Letizia grew up in Las Vegas, and is a former president of Congregation Ner Tamid and a founding member of the board of trustees of the Meadows School in Las Vegas. In this interview, Letizia discusses her career, and breaking gender barriers in both broadcasting as well as in advertising. She also talks about how her family ended up settling in Las Vegas, and the evolution of her relationship with Judaism from childhood to adulthood, eventually leading to her leadership roles with Congregation Ner Tamid as well as Jewish Federation, where she is on the Board of Directors.
Oral history interview with Ruth Urban conducted by Barbara Tabach on August 24, 2015 and September 16, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Urban discusses her upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada, including observations on childhood friendships, many of whom came from within the Jewish community. She talks extensively about her professional career and passion for mediation as a strategy for problem-solving. In addition, Urban describes her community service commitments over the years, including her current role with Nevadans for the Common Good.
Oral history interview with Deanne Alterwitz-Stralser conducted by Barbara Tabach on November 01, 2014 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Alterwitz-Stralser discusses moving to Las Vegas, Nevada with her husband and their four children to assume ownership of Walker Furniture, leading the design and merchandising elements of the business, and integrating into the local Jewish community.
In 1961, at the age of thirteen, Gerald “Jerry” Gordon became a bar mitzvah. This typical coming of age celebration was unusual in that he had simultaneously studied in both his home state of California and his adopted home of Las Vegas, where he spent summers with his grandparents. 1961 is also the same year that the Gordons made Las Vegas their permanent home.