Hillel at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) was founded in 1976 by Roberta Sabbath. Jewish Federation director Jerry Countess encouraged Sabbath to start a Hillel group and provided funding of $3,000 for the first year. Hillel is a national organization that engages Jewish students on university campuses and encourages them to stay involved in Judaism. It provides activities, a way for Jewish students to network, and an on-campus Jewish community. Hillel's programming includes social and holiday events, educational speakers, and Shabbat services and dinners.
Jerome "Jerry" Blut (1939- ) is a retired attorney and an active member of the Jewish community in Las Vegas, Nevada. Blut served as president of Temple Beth Sholom from 1995 to 1996.
Source:
“Mission and History of Temple Beth Sholom." Temple Beth Sholom Las Vegas. Accessed September 1, 2015. http://www.bethsholomlv.org/#!mission-history/c1qhp.
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.