Oral history interview with Laura Sussman conducted by Barbara Tabach on October 29, 2020 for The Great Pause: Las Vegas Chronicles of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Laura moved to Las Vegas in 1990. She and her wife, Wendy Kraft, own the Kraft-Sussman funeral home in Las Vegas. Laura talks of her work as a funeral director and in the community as President of the Jewish Family Services Agency. She also discusses the impacts of COVID-19 she's witnessed on Las Vegas residents. Subjects discussed include: COVID-19 impacts; traveling during COVID-19; networking with other funeral homes; Jewish Family Services community support
During this interview, Natalie shares stories of operating the bus station, a brief ownership of Commercial Deli (1987-1990), and her long career working collections for the casino industry. Her first position was at the Tropicana Hotel and has worked for MGM Properties, a loyal employee at the Mirage since 1990, starting a few weeks after the casino opened.
Oral history interview with Shecky Greene conducted by Barbara Tabach on June 5, 2018 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Greene talks about seeking work in Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada in the 1950s. Greene also discusses how he developed his comedy career following from Jewish people to mainstream, doing accents and making up words. He also talks about his passion for the St. Judes Ranch in Boulder City, Nevada.
White and pink note cards indicating who had pledged to donate money to the Las Vegas Combined Jewish Appeal. In 1979, the Las Vegas Combined Jewish Appeal changed its name to the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.
In this interview, Urban discusses her upbringing in Las Vegas, and childhood friendships, many which 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. Urban married Andrew Urban Jr. in 1983, and the couple have a son, Andrew Urban III.
Carolyn Goldmark Goodman (1939- ) is the mayor of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. She began her first four-year term in office on July 6, 2011 and was re-elected for a second term in April 2015. She succeeded her husband of 50 years, Oscar B. Goodman, who served three terms as mayor. Carolyn founded The Meadows School in Las Vegas in 1984, the state's first nonprofit, college preparatory school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. She oversaw planning and daily operations of the school for 26 years, retiring in 2010. Carolyn and Oscar Goodman arrived in Las Vegas in 1964. Carolyn Goodman started out working in the hotel industry, and later earned her master's degree in counseling from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) while raising four children. As mayor, Goodman has focused on improving public education and the local economy. She is a board member of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority and serves on the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance (LVGEA). She is actively involved in the United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), as a member of its Advisory Board, vice-chair of its Task Force on Education Reform, and chair of the Mayors? Business Council. In 2014 Goodman received the UCSM?s Large City Climate Protection Award. As leader of the Meadows School, Goodman was recognized nationally by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) and the National Association of Independent Schools in 2006 with the Seymour Preston Trustee Award for Leadership. She has also been honored by UNLV, receiving the Distinguished Nevada award in 1989, an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree (PhD) in 2006, and Alumni of the Year in Education in 2010. In this interview, Goodman talks about her family background and touches upon her childhood in New York City and attending Bryn Mawr College, where she met Oscar. She discusses the growth of the Las Vegas Jewish population since arriving, efforts to build Jewish community, and her involvement, including with Temple Beth Sholom and the Jewish Federation. In addition, Goodman talks at length about her husband?s political career as well as her own, both dedicated to developing Las Vegas into a safe and prosperous city, with quality education, health care, and arts and culture offerings. She also discusses establishing The Meadows School.
Oral history interview with Michael Jay Shane conducted by Barbara Tabach on October 26, 2016 and October 31, 2016 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Shane discusses his career in entertainment and other various jobs, including playing the piano at Wynn's Tower Suite Bar, Bootlegger Bistro, and the Italian American Club. Shane then mentions how his Jewish upbringing has influenced his work.
Collection is comprised primarily of files from approximately the early 1980s to 2017 detailing Joshua Abbey's theater and film career; his involvement with environmental efforts in Southern Nevada such as the Citizens Against Nuclear Waste in Nevada (CANWIN); and his involvement with the Jewish community in Las Vegas, including the Jewish Film Festival, the Jewish Federation, Temple Beth Sholom, and other organizations. The collection also includes information about the Jewish Community Center from the 1950s and a file on the film production of The Brave Cowboy, a novel written by his father, Ed Abbey.