In 2015, Todd S. Polikoff was named the President & Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas. (The organization is now known as Jewish Nevada). Todd is a graduate of Stockton University and earned his MBA at Cleveland State University. He has three children: Samuel, Shira and Jordan. Born in 1971 to a steelworker and hairdresser, Jack and Judy Polikoff, Todd grew up in Philadelphia, became a bar mitzvah there, and shocked his mother when he explained he was putting college on hold to move to Israel. In addition to stories about these life memories, Todd also traces his career path to decision-making to a meaningful trip to Moscow a where a defining moment helped him understand his own relationship with Judaism. To the time of this interview, Todd has invested over twenty years in leadership of Jewish Federation and AIPAC in states that include New Jersey, Delaware, Texas, Ohio and Nevada.
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In this interview, Renee Diamond discusses coming to Las Vegas via Los Angeles, with her husband and children in the 1970s and getting involved in politics. She talks about her husband, Leo, and his business selling vinyl records in L.A., and her work in a doctor's office. Once in Las Vegas, the Diamonds joined Temple Beth Sholom and later Congregation Ner Tamid. Renee talks about her involvement in the political arena in southern Nevada, including the League of Women Voters.
Community activism and social justice rank high in the legacy of Renee Diamond. She often refers to herself as one of the last of the generation without college degrees that could make a difference in the politics of the state. When Renee, her husband Leo Diamond moved their family to Las Vegas from southern California, the energetic advocate Renee quickly plugged into the community. The word "No" was not part of her vocabulary. Among the many Jewish and secular activities the she engaged in were: the editorial board of the Jewish Reporter newspaper; Hadassah; Anti-Defamation League; Red Cross Board; State Museum Board to name a few. She remains a vibrant Democratic Party leader and served one term on the Nevada Assembly in 1989. She was on the front lines as a fierce and active supporter of Welfare Rights, Fair Housing and the Equal Rights Amendment. It is a life that included working alongside illustrious women and men of Southern Nevada history. A list that includes: Harriet Trudell, Ruby Duncan, Myrna Williams and Dorothy Eisenberg and many more mentioned here. Meanwhile she raised four children and enjoyed a loving 43-year marriage with Leo (aka "Uncle Leo") whose career included the popular Bingo Palace, Slots-A-Fun and Stations Casinos. During this oral history interview she recalls the Las Vegas that she moved to in 1972 and reflects on what attracted people here, ways to be part of the Jewish life which might even include a bowling league and how involvement in raising social awareness was a worthy investment of ones' time. This is a look at a woman who made a difference.
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Hershel Brooks was born December 3, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in an orthodox Jewish household, along with his four siblings, and attended Jewish community schools before pursuing his rabbinical studies. He studied at TelsheYeshiva in Cleveland, Torah Vodaath in New York, and Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Before assuming his first rabbinical position, Brooks married his wife, Alma, and graduated with his BA from the University of Miami. He was first hired by a conservative congregation in Miami, and subsequently led congregations in Savannah, Georgia, Greensboro, North Carolina and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Eventually, he joined a temple in Anaheim, California, where he served for twenty years. In 1996, Brooks retired to Las Vegas. He was soon asked to lead services at Temple Bet Knesset Bamidbar [BKB] twice a month as its rabbi. He still is active at BKB, though he retired in 2011. In this interview, Brooks reflects on his family background and the path that lead to his becoming a rabbi in the Conservative Jewish Movement. He talks about his career, including his involvement with BKB as well as other Jewish community service, including facilitating adult bar mitzvah classes and serving on the local Rabbinical court of Judaism, known as Bet Din.
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On October 18, 1974, James M. Greene interviewed Murl Emery (born June 7th, 1903 in Bolton, California) at his home in Nelson, Nevada. Also present during the interview is Mrs. Emery and Mr. Dutch Eckhart, a guest who has just arrived to visit with Mr. Emery. The interview covers Mr. Emery’s personal experience in and around Southern Nevada, particularly in the areas from Searchlight, Nevada to Nelson, to Boulder Canyon, but mostly on the Colorado River. Mr. Eckhart also helps to interject some insight into the popularity of the Model T Ford in those days and early days of newly paved roads. Additionally, they discuss water shortage, wells, the building of the railroad, and mining in Nevada. Mr. Emery also discusses the books that were written about his adventurous life, his discoveries and his explorations.
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Raymond Rawson's life started in the rural Utah community of Sandy in 1940. His family moved around in what he describes as a scene from John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. By the age of 10, the family settled in Las Vegas, which had a population of around 35,000. He attended Fifth Street Grammar School, Las Vegas High School, was a member of UNLV's first graduating class, and eventually became a dentist. In this interview, he reflects on his experiences of growing up in Las Vegas, the hardships of difficult economic eras, and his professional accomplishments in the field of dentistry, including actively advocating the creation of UNLV School of Dental Medicine. Ray also became a community leader. He served in the Nevada State Legislature from 1985 to 2001. He talks about his relationship with long-time legislator Joe Neal. Education and access to healthcare were among the issues that Ray championed and he shares his observations of these issues. In 2009, he was appointe
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John J. Page attended 13 schools before graduating from high school in the Ozark Hill Country of Oklahoma. Although he engaged in no combat, he was drafted into military after completing two years of college at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. After his discharge from the U.S. Air Force, he helped his wife, Reitha, finish the credits she needed to complete her degree, and he then worked to complete his in Norman. Following his graduation, the couple relocated to Las Vegas in February 1959, when Reitha found a job at Washington Elementary School. In Las Vegas John completed his practice teaching under master teacher Lamar Terry at Twin Lakes Elementary School and under supervision of Dr. Holbert Hendrix at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. John held his first teaching assignment, fifth grade at West Charleston Elementary School (later called Howard Wasden Elementary School), for 27 years before transferring with his principal to Helen Marie Smith Elementary School. For a time John and Reitha rented a small house at the comer of Bonanza Road and First Street that was owned by entertainer Horace Heidt. They bought their first house, a Pardee Park Home one block north of Tom Williams Elementary School in North Las Vegas, because Reitha taught there, and she and the children could walk to school together. In 1973 they bought their current house on El Cortez Avenue in the Westleigh tract. Page not only worked in Ward 1 for 27 years of his 36-year teaching career (1959-1995); he and his family also lived in Ward 1 for more than forty years. As a teacher in the school that served the wealthiest Las Vegas families, Page witnessed the many ways that generous donations of time, money, and talent matter to schools, students, and teachers. As an early resident of Westleigh tract, Page saw dramatic changes to the area's built environment. And as a longtime educator, Page observed several cycles of experimental instmctional techniques and philosophies.
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From the Syphus-Bunker Papers (MS-00169). The folder contains documents containing the Syphus Family Group Record.
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On February 26, 1976, Gary Gione interviewed Stella Iaconis (born September 16th, 1910 in Italy) about her life in Southern Nevada. The two discuss Iaconis’ reasons for moving to Las Vegas as well as her childhood memories of Hooverville. Iaconis also talks about seeing the above-ground atomic tests in Southern Nevada from Los Angeles, and the drastic population growth that occurred after the construction of Hoover Dam.
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On March 14, 1978, Brian Corcoran interviewed Twenty-One dealer Daniel Kaminski (born November 17th, 1947 in New Jersey) about his life in Southern Nevada. The two discuss Kaminski’s occupational history and gambling practices amongst tourists. They then go in depth on the rise of gambling establishments across the United States and the impacts it may have on Las Vegas. The interview concludes with a discussion on the role of dealers in casinos.
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