Esther Toporek Finder is a professor of psychology and has lived in Las Vegas, Nevada since 2010. She was born May 28, 1953, in Chicago, Illinois, and moved to Washington D.C. in 1979 after graduating with her Masters from the University of Chicago. While in Washington D.C, Finder was able to jump start her career as an oral historian recording Holocaust survivor stories with the U.S Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Shoah Foundation. Esther Finder is a second generation Holocaust survivor. Her passion for Holocaust education and its representation in society has led her to many opportunities to teach, facilitate, educate, create and contribute to many survivor oriented groups such as The Generation After where she was President for 15 years, the Holocaust Era Assets Conference as representation of the American survivor community, as well as the creation of the Generations of the Shoah International group in October 2002. When Finder moved to Las Vegas, she quickly and deeply involved herself in the Las Vegas Holocaust survivor community. She has been integral with Nellis Air Force Base?s Days of Remembrance, the opening the Generations of Shoah Nevada Chapter, and partnering with the World Federation of Jewish Child Survivors of the Holocaust and Descendants to bring conferences to the Las Vegas Valley. In addition, she has been an organizer of commemoration programs for students attending UNLV and schools within the Clark County School District. Her involvement with the Governor?s Advisory Council on Education Relating to the Holocaust and the television series Eyewitness to History have highlighted the Holocaust survivors living in Las Vegas. In this interview, Finder discusses her childhood as well as the paths that led her to realize her passion for the Holocaust survivor community and her deep association with the community. She shares her experiences interviewing survivors and second generation survivors giving a deeper insight into the stories that they have shared with her over the years. In addition, she reflects on her long reach within the survivor community and brings to light the foundation of family being a survivor gives. Finder highlights the traveling, teaching and community service opportunities she has had over the years while enlightening people about the importance of countering hate through education.
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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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The Florence Lee Jones Cahlan Photographs depict locations and events in Las Vegas, Nevada from 1909 to 1980. The photographs primarily depict historical locations, including the Las Vegas Mormon Fort, the Kiel Ranch, and plaques commemorating Las Vegas’s 75th anniversary. The photographs also depict celebrations, including the Diamond Jubilee festivities held to celebrate Las Vegas’s 75th anniversary, plaque dedications, building dedications, and the 50th anniversary of the arrival of the first mail planes in Las Vegas. The photographs include the Kennecott Copper Corporation’s facilities in McGill, Nevada, Western Airlines planes and pilots, and Union Pacific Railroad locomotives.
Archival Collection
The Art Wolf Professional Papers (1988-2018) document the career of museum professional and consultant Art Wolf who specialized in supporting cultural heritage of indigenous communities, particularly in the Southwest and Las Vegas, Nevada. Materials document Wolf's work with the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) as a board member, in conference planning, and as a Study Leader for Smithsonian Associates Study Tours. Also included are materials that represent Wolf's involvement as an alumni of the Leadership Las Vegas program and director of the Nevada State Museum. The collection includes some ephemera and invitations to different events held in Las Vegas, Nevada that Wolf was invited to. The collection also includes examples of unsuccessful bids for consultancy jobs through WOLF Consulting and his files as a master's thesis adviser for the Museum Studies program at Harvard Extension School.
Archival Collection
The Bob Weinstein Papers on Compulsive Gambling (1945-2024) contain pamphlets, brochures, conference packets, promotional material, correspondence, and ephemera related to Weinstein's involvement in Gamblers Anonymous (G.A.). The collection contains G.A. recovery resources, workshop and training booklets, and meeting minutes and correspondence from Weinstein's time on the G.A. International Board of Trustees. Also contained in the collection are copies of correspondence from Jim W. (founder of Gamblers Anonymous) to Bill W. (a founder of Alcoholics Anonymous) and many books and other publications related to compulsive gambling.
Archival Collection
The Donna Andress Papers (1890-2024) contain the personal papers of Donna Andress, a longtime resident and activist in Southern Nevada. Materials include correspondence and newspaper clippings from the Nevada Welfare Committee, on which Andress served as chairperson during the 1970s, in addition to pamphlets and newsletters from various Nevada historical organizations and committees. The papers reflect her involvement with community organizations throughout Southern Nevada.
Archival Collection
The Lori Lipman Brown Papers date from 1975 to 2009 and document former Nevada State Senator Lori Lipman Brown's political career. It includes correspondence and materials from Brown's service as a Nevada State Senator from 1992 to 1994, case files from her defamation lawsuit against Nevada State Senator Kathy Augustine, and papers from her work opposing the Nevada Question 2 ballot measure on same-sex marriage in 2000. The collection also contains photocopies of biographical materials and personal and publicity photographs of Brown, as well as material from her time working with local high school and commmunity theatre programs.
Archival Collection
Collection is comprised of the papers of Las Vegas producer, manager, and agent Matt Gregory from 1959 to 1986. Included are contracts, costume sketches, press releases, videos, show reviews, and advertisements. Also included are correspondence, public relations material, business related material, costume and set design drawings and sketches, slides, negatives, photographs, transparencies, and videos, mostly from the 1960s through the 1980s.
Archival Collection