Shaw, Gilbert "Gil", 1928-

Gilbert Shaw, better known as Gil, was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Los Angeles, California, where he had his bar mitzvah. At the age of 17, he enlisted in the US Navy and became a combat correspondent. The next twenty-seven years was a military career in both the Navy and Coast Guard and included service in both Korea and Vietnam. His training as a journalist and photographer gave him a trained eye on the history around him. This gave him a keen eye on his experiences as a founding member of Las Vegas' first Reform Judaism synagogue, Congregation Ner Tamid.

In 1973, Gil and his family moved to Las Vegas. Retired from the military he was ripe for a new career when he met Don and Lil Eisner. Don soon offered Gil a sales position with Familian Pipe and Supply Company. Eventually he became a regional manager for the company. It was also Don who one night called to talk about an ad in the newspaper regarding a Reform temple forming. Knowing that this might appeal to both families, they attended the meeting held at Dr. Maurice Pearlman’s home. The meeting of about thirty people was led by Dr. David Wasserman and Dr. Gene Kirshbaum.