Oral history interview with Andrew and Debbie Levy conducted by Barbara Tabach on September 12, 2016 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. The Levy couple discusses the changes they saw in Las Vegas, Nevada, from when Andrew was a kid to the times they raised their own daughters, Sarah and Jenna. They also describe booms in the real estate market and growth in the artistic and cultural aspects of Las Vegas. Debbie provides a perspective of the growth of the local Jewish community.
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Arne Rosencrantz is the former president and owner of Garrett's Furniture in Las Vegas, Nevada. Rosencrantz was born on September 27, 1947 in Longview, Washington. He moved to Las Vegas in 1952 and attended Nevada Southern University, now known as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). In 1967, Rosencrantz began working at Garrett's Furniture, and in 1979, he purchased the company and became its president. He was president of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas from 1987 to 1988, and also served as a campaign chairman for the Federation and chairman of its Young Leadership Program. In this interview, Rosencrantz shares his grandparents and father?s immigration story, which took them from Russian to Portland, Oregon. He also talks about moving to Las Vegas, his childhood experiences, especially within the Jewish community, and reflects on the growth of his family?s furniture business in the city. Rosencrantz has been highly involved in the Jewish community over the decades, including the Young Leadership Program, United Jewish Appeal, Temple Beth Sholom, and the Jewish Federation. He is married to Lynn Rosencrantz and has two children, Marcus and Amy.
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Born in 1939, Sharon Maurer-Schwartz’s life experiences have traversed a groundbreaking era: she’s a female, Jewish and a married to a Protestant lesbian. This oral history reveals what it has been like for her as she explored her Judaism and recognized her personal identity. Her Judaic foundation began in the Reconstructionist movement in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has never wavered from her religious identity, though she has belonged to various types of synagogues. She and Ande (Edna) Rice, who also participates in this interview, were legally married in California in 2008, but have been together since the 1980s. They raised Sharon’s daughter Julie, pursued careers and moved to Las Vegas in 1999. Ande is a Protestant and the topic of blended religious couples is discussed. Sharon is devoted to her life coaching business – Growth Unlimited – and to helping others.
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Oral history interview with Sharon Maurer-Schwartz conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 01, 2016 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Maurer-Schwartz, with her wife Edna Rice, talks about being part of the gay/Jewish life together over the years including in Las Vegas, Nevada. Both women discuss why they moved to Nevada and the early days of The Center, an LGBT center, which hosted a Passover Seder.
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Oral history interview with Adele Baratz and Florence Frost conducted by Barbara Tabach on May 19, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Baratz and Frost, two longtime friends, discuss the early Jewish community of Las Vegas, Nevada, the Temple Beth Sholom, the Women's League, and their volunteering activities.
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In this interview, Fine discusses her childhood as well as the path that led to her career in law, which included working on a presidential campaign in New York City as well as several legal secretary positions in Washington, D.C., Texas and California, before eventually receiving her law degree from Golden Gate University. In addition, she reflects upon working on the infamous Jeff MacDonald murder trial in the 1970s as well as her experience becoming?and ending her service as?a Family Court Judge. Fine also discusses her community service work, particularly with the Women?s Philanthropy Board of the Jewish Federation and with Temple Beth Am.
Frances-Ann "Fran" Fine-Ventura is an attorney at the Fine and Price Law Group in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was born September 28, 1951, in Cleveland, Ohio, and moved to Arizona at the age of eleven when her father sought new economic opportunities out West. Fine eventually moved to Las Vegas shortly after she graduated law school in 1983. Fine worked for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Nevada in the early 1980s, then at several private law firms. From 1992 to 1998, she served as a District Court Judge in the Family Division of the Eighth Judicial District Court. Fine is involved in the Las Vegas community via the Nevada School of the Arts and the Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Foundation in Clark County, Nevada. She has also been involved with the Women's Philanthropy Board of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas since 1984, and served as chair from 2014 to 2016. Fran Fine's brother is Las Vegas real estate developer Mark Fine. In this interview, Fine discusses her childhood as well as the path that led to her career in law, which included working on a presidential campaign in New York City as well as several legal secretary positions in Washington, D.C., Texas and California, before eventually receiving her law degree from Golden Gate University. In addition, she reflects upon working on the infamous Jeff MacDonald murder trial in the 1970s as well as her experience becoming?and ending her service as?a Family Court Judge. Fine also discusses her community service work, particularly with the Women?s Philanthropy Board of the Jewish Federation and with Temple Beth Am.
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Oral history interview with Jolie Brislin conducted by Barbara Tabach on April 21, 2017 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Brislin discusses her family background and upbringing in Redwood City, California. She remembers moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1991, her involvement in the Jewish community, and going on a trip to Israel. Brislin talks about joining the Anti-Defamation League, becoming the Regional Director of the organization in 2015, and her mentors at the time. Lastly, Brislin discusses the rise of hate acts towards minority groups across the country, and the issue of cyber-bullying.
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In this interview, Stein lovingly describes various forms and mediums of art, especially rubber stamping, which included starting and managing a related craft publication, National Stampagraphic, as well as working with polymer clay. She talks about her involvement with the local Polymer Clay Guild, of which she is president, and their various projects, including Bottles of Hope and Hearts for Heroes. Stein also discusses her teaching career at the Hebrew Academy and Adelson Educational Campus.
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In these clips Lori Chenin Frankl discusses the role of Judaism in her childhood and growing up Jewish in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the second clip she discusses different synagogues in Las Vegas and the difference between Conservative and Orthodox.
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In clip 1, Pricilla Schwartz describes her Jewish education as a child. In clip 2, she discusses her work with Compassionate Care.
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