Oral history interview with Gilbert "Gil" Shaw conducted by Barbara Tabach on May 03, 2016 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Shaw discusses founding group of Congregation Ner Tamid in 1974 that includes himself. He also talks about being a photographer and journalist for the Navy and the Coast Guard during the Korean War and Vietnam War.
In this interview, Gil Shaw recalls milestones at Congregation Ner Tamid?first bat mitzvah?and anecdotes about leaders, first rabbis, donation by Moe Dalitz, services being held in Protestant churches, and even a controversy over colors for the new temple building of Ner Tamid.
Rabbi Sanford Akselrad, Gerald Gordon, Bob Unger, David Wasserman, Renee Diamond and Gilbert Shaw discuss the founding of Congregation Ner Tamid in 1974. It became the first Reform synagogue in Las Vegas. The conversation includes discussion about the first meeting, the move into the current location, and the hiring of Rabbi Akselrad.
Gilbert Shaw, better known as Gil, is an original member of Congregation Ner Tamid, a Reform synagogue in Las Vegas, Nevada. Shaw was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Los Angeles, California. At the age of 17 he enlisted in the US Navy and became a combat correspondent and was trained as a journalist and photographer. In 1973 Shaw and his family moved to Los Vegas, Nevada where he took on a sales position and eventually became a regional manager for Familian Pipe and Supply Company.
Gilbert Shaw, better known as Gil, was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles, California, where he had his bar mitzvah. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the US Navy and became a combat correspondent. The next twenty-seven years was a military career in both the Navy and Coast Guard and included service in both Korea and Vietnam. His training as a journalist and photographer gave him a trained eye on the history around him. This gave him a keen eye on his experiences as a founding member of Las Vegas' first Reform Judaism synagogue, Congregation Ner Tamid.
In this audio clip, Gil Shaw talks about being the default historian for Congregation Ner Tamid, and his interest in preserving history for future generations.
The collection is primarily comprised of photographs shot by photo enthusiast and Congregation Ner Tamid member, Gil Shaw. Photographs primarily depict events such as annual meetings, social events, and High Holy Day services held at and by Congregation Ner Tamid from 2004 to 2014. Also included are photographs depicting the 1983 construction of Congregation Ner Tamid's new campus in Henderson, Nevada.