Groundbreaking ceremony for Congregation Or Bamidbar. (Post-it on back: Left of center Sam Ventura, rt of Rachel Ventura. Left of sam: Yaffa Dahan and David Dahan, JFLV Federation President

In 1980, Sunrise Hospital was looking to provide specialized services for pediatrics. They recruited a young pediatric ophthalmologist named Dr. Kathleen Melanie Kahn Mahon. Intrigued by the opportunity to relocate to Las Vegas, Dr. Mahon became one of the first female pediatric ophthalmologists in the city. Dr. Mahon is a highly accomplished pediatric ophthalmologist: Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Fellow of the American Academy of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Medicine. Raised in Santa Fe, Dr. Mahon is the family historian and recalls parts of the family’s ancestral history through the generations. She speaks of her family’s Jewish immigration from Germany and Austria, and a deep historical legacy in New Mexico, which can be traced to the 1800s. As the Mahon family settled into southern Nevada, community involvement was a high priority for her. Among the local organizations that she devoted much of her time to were the Rotary Club, Ronald McDonald House, and Junior League. Dr. Mahon and her husband William were early members of Congregation Ner Tamid. She recalls both her and her son’s b’nai mitzvahs held at the synagogue. She includes anecdotes of enjoying Las Vegas -- stories that range from knowing respected banker Selma Bartlett to the famous Nat Hart from Caesars Palace.

Video recording of Yom Hashoah event held at the Governor's Mansion in Carson City, Nev.

These photographs and ephemera are mounted in the hallway at Temple Beth Sholom, and document the history of the synagogue from it's beginnings in the 1940s through 2003.

The video documents the Hannukah gathering at the Venetian organized by the Holocaust Survivors Group of Southern Nevada. The program includes speeches and entertainment.