The Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project Community Collection is comprised of organizational records, photographs, event programs, and ephemera donated by members of the Southern Nevada Jewish community as part of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas University Libraries’ Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. Materials document the history of the Jewish community and Southern Nevada from 1941 to 2017. The collection provides information about family life, religious rituals, community events, and local businesses and organizations.
Part of an interview with Jerrry Countess and Dorothy Eisenberg on October 28, 2014. In this clip, Countess talks about the early days of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas and an event held by B'nai B'rith.
Part of an interview with Doris, Jerry and Marcy Welt on November 30, 2014. In this clip, the Welts talk about Las Vegas in the early 1970s, the opening of Boulevard Mall, and the community of Jewish families who all knew one another.
Sandy Mallin grew up in New York and graduated from New Rochelle High School. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada from Westchester County, New York in 1977 with her first husband, who wanted to expand his wholesale seafood business. The couple had three children but were later divorced. Mallin was a leader in Las Vegas’ Jewish community and the first female President of Temple Beth Sholom.
Photo albums and loose photographs documenting Temple Beth Sholom, the International Lion of Judah conference for United Jewish Community/Jewish Federation and other events. Photographs show Sharon Sigesmund, Shelley Berkley, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Laura Bush, Hillary Clinton and President Bill Clinton, among others.
They've been referred to as the two Jewish mothers who own a funeral home. At first glance that seems too simple a description. However, it is how they arrived at this description that tells a story of two women who moved here in the late 1990s and whose paths crossed as they became part of the Jewish community of Las Vegas. Laura Sussman arrived first. It was 1997. The Jewish Community Center, a JCC without walls as Laura puts it, hired her as its first executive director. She was from Ohio where there was a robust Jewish tradition. She was director for eight years; then executive director at Temple Beth Sholom. Wendy Kraft moved to the valley in 1999. She was a stay at home mom from Boston, who was accustom to volunteering in the Jewish community. Knowing no one and on the brink of divorce, the Jewish community became her life, a way to build a network of friends and keep her occupied just as it had been in Boston. The two women met through their work with the JCC and love followed. Several years later, in 2009, so did their new business, Kraft-Sussman Funeral and Cremation services. By February 6, 2015, Laura and Wendy had married. They had already formed a family with each other and their three daughters, Leah Sussman, Emma and Elyse Kraft. In this interview they discuss their joint sense of purpose that includes love of family, dedication to the Jewish community, pride in the LGBT identity, and providing caring services to those at the time of funeral services. They talk also of Jewish traditions related to death, the Jewish burial society known as Chevra Kadisha, and challenges of their industry. They share feelings about nonprofits and how they value being actively involved in the community.