In this oral history, the long married couple Henry and Anita Schuster recall the history of the 1930s and how they eventually met and created a life together. Their childhoods were distinctively different, but charter a future where they would inevitably meet. Born in Germany in 1926, Henry recalls the dawn of Hitler and the Nazism. His mother would arrange for his evacuation to France, where he would not know her fate or that of his two sisters for a number of years. Along with hundreds of other displaced children, he escaped to America and lived with relatives in Louisiana where he finished his schooling and joined the US Army. Anita on the other hand grew up with her family in New York. They share the story of meeting when she was 16, falling in love and marrying in 1948. They had four children and moved several times before settling in California. They retired to Las Vegas in 1993. Henry's recollections include childhood memories of the Holocaust and its affect on his family, including the loss of his mother and one of his sisters. Finding his surviving sister Bertel (Betty Kale) after the war is a heartwarming tale of survival. The Schusters are part of the approximately 300 members of the Holocaust Survivor Group that has settled in southern Nevada and Henry was President Emeritus of the group. He published his memoir, Abraham's Son-the Making of an American, in 2010.
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In this interview, Behar reflects upon his childhood in France, and later adjusting to life in New York. He talks of his admiration for those that have cared for him in his youth, including Marie Cazous and his parents, Marco and Flora Behar. He details his career path, and how he ended up in Las Vegas. In addition, Behar describes a recent family trip to France, visiting his place of birth for the first time since leaving as a child.
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Known throughout the Las Vegas community as Rabbi Mendy, Mendy Harlig is a leader of the Chabad in Las Vegas, which was introduced to the valley in 1990 by his brother Rabbi Shea Harlig. Since his youth spent growing up in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, where he was surrounded by Hasidic Jews, Rabbi Mendy seemed destined to become a Chabad rabbi. During the early 1990s he often visited Las Vegas and assisted his brother at the Chabad of Southern Nevada. Then in 1997 he met and married Chaya Harlig and the couple permanently relocated to the valley to be the spiritual leaders of the Chabad of Green Valley. As their family grew, so did their importance to the Chabad movement in Las Vegas. During this interview, Rabbi Mendy touches upon the nature of Chabad teachings and observance in the so-called “Sin City” persona of Las Vegas. He also shares about his participation in the Las Vegas Metro Chaplaincy program. He particularly reflective of his active role immediately after of the horror of the October 1 mass casualty at the Route 91 country music festival and his perspectives afterwards.
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The documentation of the Holocaust of World War II reveals the desperation of Jewish families to protect their loved ones from doom. In this oral history, Sonja (neé Niekerk) Walter recalls the story of being an infant handed off to a family friend for safety and nurturing. Next to Sonja is Wilma, her “sister” and the biological daughter of that friend. Sonja and Wilma are tethered together by history and love for Cor Vandenberg, mother and protector. Sonja was born in 1943 Holland to Simon and Rose Niekerk. At thirteen days of age she was given sanctuary by Cor, who raise her as her own for the next two and half years. She and Wilma reminisce about the circumstances that brought them together, their love of Cor, and the impact of being a child survivor of the Holocaust. Sonja also shares her family’s journey to the United States and to Las Vegas.
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Interviewed by Monsserath Hernandez, Laurents Bañuelos-Benitez, and Claytee White. Dr. Acherman has been practicing in Southern Nevada for nearly 20 years and continues to care for the community at the Children's Heart Center of Nevada in Las Vegas. Born and raised in the small town of Palmira, Colombia with his two sisters and parents. His father is from Romania and immigrated to Ecuador while escaping from Nazi occupied Europe during World War II. Dr. Acherman eventually moved to Cali, Colombia in order to attend medical school. knowing that he wanted to specialize in cardiology and being unable to do cardiology in Colombia he immigrated to the U.S. and specialized in pediatrics at USC. After practicing for two years in Toronto, he was contacted by Dr. Evans in 2001 with an offer to work at his practice in Southern Nevada where he was able to successfully perform the first balloon dilation in the state of Nevada.
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Collection is comprised of scrapbooks, photographs, awards and certificates, and ephemera mainly dating from approximately the 1950s to 1970s gathered by the Levy family of Las Vegas, Nevada. This collection documents the personal and professional lives of three generations in the Levy family: Harry C. Levy, Al Levy, and Andrew “Drew” Levy. Materials in this collection also include photographs and clippings about the Levy Realty Company and about the various public positions held by Harry C. Levy, such as Las Vegas city commissioner.
Archival Collection