Identifications on reverse of photograph: Seated L-R: Saul Braun, Bev Eisen, Roberta Altman, Evelyn Roitman, and Esther Levine; Standing L-R: Allen Brewster (TBS Men's Club President), Leo A. Wilner (Past President, Committee Chairman), Dr. Larry Lerner, Aaron Banks, Sol Roitman, Mel Lane and Jules Levine (not pictured: Herb Kaufman)
Allen Brewster (1921-2009) was the founder of King David Mortuary in Las Vegas, Nevada. Born in Yonkers, New York, Brewster grew up during the Great Depression and served in the U.S. Army during World War II. An executive at Palm Mortuary since 1978, he recognized the need for traditional Jewish burial services and helped to develop Las Vegas' first Jewish burial garden. Brewster founded King David Mortuary in 2001 and also helped create the Chesed Indigent Burial Fund, which assists families who cannot otherwise afford Jewish burial services.
Music brought Jay Poster to Las Vegas for a brief time in 1974. Jay wanted to pursue a musical career and his cousin was a professional musician with the Nat Brandwynne Orchestra at Caesars Palace. To Jay?s disappointment, within a few months his cousin Jack Poster left Las Vegas for a road tour. So Jay decided his best strategy was to return home to San Diego and his studies at San Diego State University. It would be over a decade later before Jay returned to Las Vegas to live and this time it became permanent. This time it was not for music. For beyond his musical talent, Jay had a gift for connecting with people of all of ages and walks of life. He was good at sales and his day job selling office furniture offered him the opportunity to transfer to Las Vegas in 1986. Within a few years, however, it was a recruiter for Palm Mortuaries who introduced Jay to his defining career moment and to Allen Brewster, a prominent Jewish leader and founder of King David Cemetery and Mortuary. It was 2001. Jay has been King David?s ever since and is the General Manager. In this interview, Jay describes his personal and spiritual growth through his career in funeral services and his respect for the Jewish traditions of burial and grieving. In addition, his passion for music has also soared and he talks about his participation in the Shabbatones at Congregation Ner Tamid and Desert Winds, a community based performance organization. He shares his love of traditional Jewish klezmer music and the Meshugginah Klezmorim.