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.
Taken from bio on JHP: "In 1961, at the age of thirteen, Gerald “Jerry” Gordon became a bar mitzvah. This typical coming of age celebration was unusual in that he had simultaneously studied in both his home state of California and his adopted home of Las Vegas, where he spent summers with his grandparents. 1961 is also the same year that the Gordons made Las Vegas their permanent home. Jerry graduated from Las Vegas High School, attended University of Nevada, Las Vegas and earned his law degree from University of California, Los Angeles.
Bob Unger is a businessman and real estate developer in Henderson, Nevada. A long-time resident of the Las Vegas Valley, Unger attended Valley High School and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. After attending Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles, California, Unger practiced law in Las Vegas from 1977 to 1989. He represented business on the Strip and in real estate before undertaking his own development projects. He is president of Unger Development and is responsible for the Showcase Mall on the Las Vegas Strip and the Tuscany neighborhood in Henderson.
Jared Shafer is a former board member of Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas, Nevada. He served as president of the congregation from 1984 to 1986 and also managed the temple's preschool. He moved to Las Vegas in 1944.
Roundtable Interview with Members of Temple Beth Sholom, 2015 January 14. OH-02459. Transcript. Oral History Research Center, Special Collections, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
Oral history interview with Doris, Jerry, and Marcy Welt conducted by Barbara Tabach on November 30, 2014 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, the Welts discuss how they came to Las Vegas, Nevada in the early 1970s from California. They also discuss Eli Welt's pawnshop, Stoney's, which he acquired from Doris Welt's father, Jerry Fox. Jerry and Marcy Welt talk about how they met and came to Las Vegas. They also talk about the community that existed in Las Vegas at the time, and their involvement with B'nai B'rith.