Diana Saunders was born Diana Salshutz in the Bronx, the northern most borough of New York City. She was raised in a Jewish neighborhood and recalls how her maternal grandparents pickled pickles, tomatoes and other traditional Jewish delicacies for Wolfie?s Deli. By the time she was twelve years old, Diana was bustling through the city to pursue her dream of becoming a professional dancer. Encouraged by her mother Rose?her father Sidney was not as eager for this pursuit?Diana was accepted into High School of Performing Arts in Manhattan. In addition, she was accepted at the School of American Ballet where she studied classical ballet during the leadership of renowned choreographer George Balanchine. Her first professional performance was in the Nutcracker for American Ballet. At the age of seventeen, Diana was on her own, confident in her dancing potential, and eager to study jazz dancing. This led her to Matt Mattox and to her important mentor, Luigi (Eugene Louis Faccuito). In time she was a featured dancer for Steven Lawrence and Eydie Gorm?s show Golden Rainbow. This was soon followed by a position on Sammy Davis Jr.?s television show in the 1960s. Diana also studied musical acting and showed talent for comedic performance. In the 1970s, Diana crossed paths with Las Vegas venues. She relocated to Las Vegas in 1974 when Donn Arden offered her a dancer position in Hallelujah Hollywood at the MGM. She met and married musical theater actor/singer Joe Bellomo, whose career spanned four decades. He passed away of complications of early onset Alzheimer?s in 1996. Always true to her personal mantra?Wake up; Dress up. Show up?Diana maintains a busy schedule. At the time of this of this interview, she is currently a manger of gondoliers at the Venetian. She brings to life that career and also talks about being a part of the former Star Trek Experience at the Las Vegas Hilton. Diana shares stories of long career as a dancer, from substituting in the black dancer line to continued study of dancing with Anglo Moio. She also talks about the AIDS fundraising event Golden Rainbow, having dinner at Rabbi Shea Harlig?s home and observations of local theater.

Interview with Myra Berkovits by Barbara Tabach on August 21, 2014. In this interview, Berkovits talks about growing up and starting her teaching career in Chicago. When she moves to Las Vegas, Berkovits eventually purchases a dining concierge business, but returned to teaching, and is now involved with the Sperling Kronberg Mack Holocaust Resource Center.

Myra Berkovits was born Myra Mosse in 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. She became an elementary school teacher in Chicago before moving to Las Vegas in 1980. Myra has made contributions to Las Vegas in the public and private sectors. She owned several businesses then returned to teaching, heading to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to renew her teaching license and later received her master's degree. After a year of teaching in multicultural education, Myra was then in charge of the school district's homeless program, seeing its growth from serving 1,200 to 6,000 students. Myra's other passion was for Holocaust education and she became one of six interviewers in the city for the Shoah Foundation, documenting survivors' stories. One interviewee, David Berkovits, would later become her husband of fifteen years. Myra's own Holocaust education was aided by powerful trips to Israel and Poland. She used these experiences to develop and lead student-teacher conferences and classroom curriculum for the whole state. Myra still serves at the Education Specialist at the Holocaust Resource Center.

In this interview, focused on the John S. Park neighborhood of Las Vegas, Arne Rosencrantz discusses his childhood growing up in Las Vegas. He talks about local businesses, including his father's furniture store, as well as schools and churches in the neighborhood.

Arne Rosencrantz remembers living on Beverly Way from 1954 to 1970. Like so many others from that era, he attended Fifth Street School, John S. Park Elementary School, John C. Fremont Middle School and graduated from Las Vegas High School. As a Jew, he was in a small minority, but fondly recalls growing up in the dense Mormon population of John S. Park Neighborhood. As a youngster, life in Las Vegas was filled with fun. The desert provided opportunity to hunt lizards and rabbits. Kids walked to school without concern. They played ball and found the Strip casinos welcoming to locals. He tells how the social issue of segregation of the 1960s did not affect him personally, but how local movie theatre owner Lloyd Katz fought to make his Huntridge and Fremont theatres integrated. He also reminisces about his father opening Hollywood Furniture and later Garrett's Furniture, which Arne operated until retiring in 2001. During the interview, he lists other furniture companies and the strong assortment of other retailers and restaurants that served the neighborhood.

In this interview, Michael Saltman recounts his family background, his schooling in Michigan, and living abroad in London and Munich. His travels to Israel in 1968 reinforced his connection to Judaism. Saltman and his wife, Sonja, moved to Las Vegas in 1975 and he began working with Larry Larkin, who eventually became his partner. He discusses several projects he completed with Larkin, including shopping centers and apartment complexes. He talks about the changes in Las Vegas that came about from the availability of financing from legitimate sources, and the population growth of the area. He then talks about his involvement in the local Jewish community with the Jewish Federation, Anti-Defamation League and Congregation Ner Tamid.

In 1942, Michael Saltman, the son of a rugged Canadian entrepreneur and of an educator, was born in Flint, Michigan. Michael spent a fulfilling childhood in Flint, where his family was involved in the Jewish community, even helping start a new temple. However, his life changed dramatically when his father passed away during his teenage years. At his mother's insistence, Michael went to law school after graduating from Michigan State University, and received his Juris doctor from Wayne State University. From Detroit, Michael headed to London to participate in an LL.M. program, though he quickly withdrew and landed a position with a life insurance and investment company in London. Michael soon relocated to the company's Geneva office, where his job included establishing operations in Israel. It was during these trips that he more intensely connected with Judaism and his Jewish identity. Michael left the company to join a former colleague at Shareholders Capital Corporation, where he met his wife Sonja. The couple moved to Munich, where they lived until 1975, until moving to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, Michael became a successful real estate developer. His projects include apartments, shopping centers and office parks, like Village Apartments, Campus Village Shopping Center and Renaissance Center. He later opened Food 4 Less grocery stores in Nevada, Utah and California, eventually buying the Kansas-based company from Lou Falley. He and his partner later sold the company to Kroger. Michael served on the local Jewish Federation's board of directors, and Sonja is a longtime board member for the Anti-Defamation League's regional office in Las Vegas. In 2003, Michael and Sonja co-founded the Saltman Center for Conflict Resolution within William S. Boyd School of Law. Michael's other efforts to promote peaceful conflict resolution include the production of Streetball Hafla, a movie shot in Israel about Jewish and Palestinian teenagers interacting in basketball camp.

Interview with Irving Kirshbaum by Cheryl Rogers on February 23, 1979. In this interview, Kirshbaum discusses the Riviera Hotel where he began working in 1955. He also talks about the landscape of the Las Vegas Strip in the 1950s, and the state of gambling, comps, customer service, and dealer training. The interviewer asks about the treatment of minorities at the Riviera, and in Las Vegas generally, and the effect of corporate ownership on casinos.

Interview with Myra Berkovits, Susan Dubin and Doug Unger of the Holocaust Resource Center. In this interview, the group discusses the beginnings of what is now the Sperling Kronberg Mack Holocaust Resource Center. Edythe Katz-Yarchever is discussed as the catalyst for establishing the center and getting others involved with the Governor's Advisory Council on Education Relating to the Holocaust. Berkovits talks about her role as a liason for Holocaust education in the Clark County School District and the student-teacher conferences held each year with funding from Sheldon Adelson. Unger discusses expanding the outreach to the Washoe County School District with assistance from Atlantis Hotel (Reno, Nev.) owner, John Farahi and Judy Mack. They talk about the previous locations of the Holocaust Resource Center on Maryland Parkway, then Renaissance Drive, and the affiliation with the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Family Service Agency. After funding and personnel issues around 2011, the advisory council and the library went through a re-structuring and hired Susan Dubin who organized and catalogued the library collection. The library is now accredited by the Association of Jewish Libraries.

Interview with Barbara Raben by Barbara Tabach on February 24, 2015. In the first part of the interview Raben discusses her involvement with Hadassah in Southern Nevada, and the various groups within that organization. During the second part of the interview, she talks about her family and her relationship to Judaism, and moving to Las Vegas in 1991. Raben discusses the business she built in Los Angeles and Las Vegas called the Candy Factory. She then talks about the formation of Midbar Kodesh with other families from Temple Beth Sholom. Raben continues to be involved in the Jewish community and the Jewish Family Service Agency.

In 1945, Barbara Raben was born to Kermit and Adele Shulman, children of Eastern European emigrants. She enjoyed a happy childhood in Stamford, Connecticut, and was raised with a strong Jewish identity. After attending college in New Jersey, Barbara married Richard Grisar, and the couple lived in London for a year, before returning to Stamford. In 1975, Barbara and Richard moved to Los Angeles where Barbara owned and operated a very successful candy business, Candy Factory. Sixteen years later, Barbara sold her business, and the family relocated permanently to Las Vegas, where her husband owned radio stations. Barbara has always been an active member of the Jewish community, wherever she lived, giving her time to synagogue, children's day school and service organizations. Upon arriving in Las Vegas, Barbara and her family were members of Temple Beth Sholom, before leaving the congregation to start Midbar Kodesh Temple with a small group of other families. She has been an active member of Hadassah Southern Nevada Chapter for over a decade, helping rebuild the organization locally after participating in the Hadassah Leadership Academy, a program designed to engage a younger generation of members. Currently, Barbara serves as board president and interim executive director for Jewish Family Service. In 2004, then a widow, she married Terry Raben. Barbara has four sons with her first husband: Michael, Andrew, David and Marc Grisar.