Steven Eisen (1966 - ) is the oldest son of Barry and Beverly Eisen, who were part of the migration of Jews from St. Louis to Las Vegas in the 1960s. He is married to Stacy Fisher and the older brother to Andrew and Robert Eisen. They are members of an early group of born-and-raised Las Vegans. Growing up Jewish, he became a bar mitzvah, belonged to B?nai B?rith Youth Organization. In this oral history interview, Steve recalls enjoyable stories of growing up in Las Vegas and humorous anecdotes of mistaken identity since the three brothers bear such strong physical resemblances. Today he finds himself enjoying his career as CEO of the Children?s Heart Center since 2001 and talks about the success and reputation of the pediatric medical group. It was his first job as a fourteen year old helping Theodore Manos and Michael Cherry during the MGM fire litigations where he learned about the legal world and being organized as a path to success in whatever he might pursue. Steve graduated from University of Missouri, attended law school at Washington University in St. Louis, and received his business degree from UNLV. Throughout the interview, he recalls the steady and strong involvement of his parents in their sons? educations. He also describes their active connection with the Jewish community and organizations. Steve?s wife Stacy is a professor in physical therapy at Touro University.
Robert Wilner, born Robert Morris was born April 19, 1970 in Encino, California. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada when he was six months old. From a young age, he wanted to change his last name to match his adoptive parents’, Martin and Linda, last name. That wish became a reality when he was eighteen when his parents were able to find an attorney. Wilner worked as a realtor alongside his mother.
Bernard Kaufman was born on June 29, 1939 in St. Louis, Missouri to Rose and Charles Kaufman. He married Barbara Kaufman on March 26, 1961. n 1968, they moved to Las Vegas, joining Bernie’s brother, Herb, in the growing city who had opened the first Wonder World store. Bernie assisted in managing the family businesses four Wonder World stores, until they were sold in 1982. At that time, he went into the car rental business, which he sold in 2000 and then went into airport advertising. Bernard and Barbara have two children, Carrie and Andrew Kaufman.
Arne Rosencrantz was born on September 27, 1947 in Longview, Washington. He moved to Las Vegas, Nevada in 1952 and graduated from Las Vegas High School. He grew up in the dense Mormon population of the John S. Park Neighborhood. Rosencrantz attended Nevada Southern University, now known as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). In 1967, Rosencrantz began working at Garrett's Furniture and in 1979, he purchased the company and became its president.
Dayvid Figler was born August 18, 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. He was four years old when the family station wagon reached Las Vegas, Nevada in 1971. Figler’s father soon became a Pan dealer on the Strip. As the family grew, his mother, Barbara, immersed her energies in her children’s activities, Hadassah and Temple Beth Sholom. Figler graduated from Valley High School at the age of 16 and by the age of 23 he was rising in the legal world. He was also a local essayist and poet.
Oral history interview with Wilma and Burt Bass conducted by Barbara Tabach on February 09, 2015 for the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project. In this interview, Burt Bass discusses his photography business, the migration of its storefront around town, and his colorful landlords. Wilma Bass talks about her sales career in the local jewelry industry, and more extensively, she shares memories of her involvement in the Jewish community with theater productions. The couple also shares stories of friendships with local entertainers, including Jerry Lewis and Neil Sedaka.
Tucson, Arizona, native David Ober moved to Las Vegas twice. He arrived reluctantly the first time in 1978 with his parents as a high-school student, when his father, Hal Ober, came to Las Vegas to begin building and marketing the U.S. Home (now Lennar) brand. While the elder Ober soon left U.S. Home to open his own home-building business, R.A. Homes, his youngest child left Las Vegas shortly after his high school graduation to return to his native Tucson, follow in the footsteps of his siblings, and attend the University of Arizona. After graduating from the University of Arizona David Ober opened his own mortgage company and began building a life in Phoenix. In the late 1980s he agreed to take a large pay cut, return to Las Vegas, and learn his father's business from the ground up. At the time, Hal Ober was developing his award-winning, master-planned community, Desert Shores. David Ober, the youngest of the five children of Hal and D'Vorre (Dee) Ober, agreed to participate in the