Sasha Semenoff (1924-2013) was born Abram Shapiro in Riga, Latvia. Sasha played the piano at age 6 and got his first violin at age 9. In a 2009 Las Vegas Sun interview, Sasha told the story that while being transported to a concentration camp a German Nazi soldier saw him holding a mandolin and instructed him to play “La Paloma.” To his great fortune, he was able to do so and always felt that that moment saved his life.
In this audio clip, Iris and David speak about going to shows at the hotels in Las Vegas in the 1960s through the 1990s. David Torjman was the Hebrew School teacher at Temple Beth Sholom and taught the children and grandchildren of many hotel owners and operators. They speak about their wedding reception during which Sasha Semenoff played.