Search Results
Photograph of Prayer Shawls, Henderson (Nev.), November 10, 2016
Date
Archival Collection
Description
A rack of Jewish prayer shawls at Midbar Kodesh Temple.
Image
Audio clip from interview with Arlene Blut, May 28, 2015
Date
Archival Collection
Description
In this clip, Arlene Blut discusses the Meadows Theater, a professional theater that she and Joan Snyder established in Las Vegas.
Sound
Transcript of interview with Renee Diamond by Barbara Tabach, November 20, 2014
Date
Archival Collection
Description
In this interview, Renee Diamond discusses coming to Las Vegas via Los Angeles, with her husband and children in the 1970s and getting involved in politics. She talks about her husband, Leo, and his business selling vinyl records in L.A., and her work in a doctor's office. Once in Las Vegas, the Diamonds joined Temple Beth Sholom and later Congregation Ner Tamid. Renee talks about her involvement in the political arena in southern Nevada, including the League of Women Voters.
Community activism and social justice rank high in the legacy of Renee Diamond. She often refers to herself as one of the last of the generation without college degrees that could make a difference in the politics of the state. When Renee, her husband Leo Diamond moved their family to Las Vegas from southern California, the energetic advocate Renee quickly plugged into the community. The word "No" was not part of her vocabulary. Among the many Jewish and secular activities the she engaged in were: the editorial board of the Jewish Reporter newspaper; Hadassah; Anti-Defamation League; Red Cross Board; State Museum Board to name a few. She remains a vibrant Democratic Party leader and served one term on the Nevada Assembly in 1989. She was on the front lines as a fierce and active supporter of Welfare Rights, Fair Housing and the Equal Rights Amendment. It is a life that included working alongside illustrious women and men of Southern Nevada history. A list that includes: Harriet Trudell, Ruby Duncan, Myrna Williams and Dorothy Eisenberg and many more mentioned here. Meanwhile she raised four children and enjoyed a loving 43-year marriage with Leo (aka "Uncle Leo") whose career included the popular Bingo Palace, Slots-A-Fun and Stations Casinos. During this oral history interview she recalls the Las Vegas that she moved to in 1972 and reflects on what attracted people here, ways to be part of the Jewish life which might even include a bowling league and how involvement in raising social awareness was a worthy investment of ones' time. This is a look at a woman who made a difference.
Text
Transcript of interview with Oscar Goodman by Claytee D. White November 10, 2014
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Oscar Baylin Goodman (1939- ) is the former mayor of the city of Las Vegas, Nevada, serving 12 years until 2011, when he swore in his wife of over 50 years, Carolyn Goodman. Oscar Goodman is the official ambassador of Las Vegas, and the chairman of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) Host Committee. He is also known as one of the best criminal defense attorneys in the United States, and spent 35 years defending alleged Mob figures such as Meyer Lansky, Frank Rosenthal, and Anthony Spilotro. Goodman is the primary visionary and a member of the board of directors of The Mob Museum in downtown Las Vegas, which opened in 2012. Goodman was born June 26, 1939 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He earned his undergraduate degree from Haverford College in 1961 and his law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1964. That same year he moved to Las Vegas and in 1965 he was admitted to the Nevada State Bar. He served as Clark County?s chief deputy public defender from 1966 to 1967. Goodman was elected as mayor of Las Vegas for the first time in 1999. During his three terms (the legal limit), he contributed to the economic and cultural development of the downtown area by supporting projects such as the arts district and Union Park, a high-rise residential and business project he helped to secure 61 acres of land for. He helped to begin what he called the ?Manhattanization? of downtown, which included the construction of taller buildings for better use of the area?s prime real estate. In this interview, Goodman discusses the role of Judaism in his life, from childhood to adulthood to parenting his own four children. He touches on his involvement with Temple Beth Sholom, including serving as its president, as well as in local development projects like the Lou Ruvo Cleveland Clinic Brain Health Center, Smith Center for the Performing Arts, and Mob Museum. In addition, Goodman discusses the impact of Jewish residents on the city and its development, and mentions leaders in the gaming industry, legal profession and in politics.
Text
Audio clip from interview with Jerry Fox, November 12, 2014
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Part of an interview with Jerry Fox on November 12, 2014. In this clip, Fox talks about arriving in Las Vegas in 1955, and how his father came to own a delicatessen on the Las Vegas strip.
Sound
Biographical essay by Shirley Weiss, 2014
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Shirley Weiss describes her childhood housed in army barracks in the ghetto in Beregszasz (Berehove), Hungary. She was sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau, and several other camps, and eventually liberated from Terez?n in 1945. She came to the United States via Sweden.
Text
Photographs of B'nai B'rith's "Man of the Year" Mike O'Callaghan and others, November 03, 1974
Date
Archival Collection
Description
Photographs of B'nai B'rith's "Man of the Year" event, featuring "Man of the Year" Governor of Nevada Mike O'Callaghan and his wife Carolyn O'Callaghan. 120mm negatives.
Image
LVCJA Ball programs and planning documents, item 10
Description
Handwritten notes about the Combined Jewish Appeal Silver Anniversary Ambassador's Ball, May 24, 1973.