When Henry Kronberg called me in October 2016 I held my breath as he said, 鈥淚鈥檓 not going to live forever, Barbara.鈥 His friend Ben Lesser, another Holocaust survivor and Las Vegas resident, had suffered a serious health event 鈥 stirring Henry鈥檚 awareness of mortality.
The Holocaust survivor is among the subjects for more than 150 oral histories I conducted for the at the University Libraries鈥 Oral History Research Center. This work has shown me a kaleidoscope of personalities who share two qualities: They are of Jewish ancestry or traditions and they call Las Vegas home. The stories they tell traverse the history of Las Vegas. They are the builders, visionaries, entrepreneurs, entertainers, educators, doctors, lawyers, judges, and spiritual leaders upon whom our community has grown.
Each interview is an honor. I begin an interview by asking for the story of how the narrator鈥檚 family came to America and then the tale of coming to live in Las Vegas. Henry鈥檚 story has been among the highlights. He has called Las Vegas home since discovering his sister survived the Holocaust and was a resident of Las Vegas. In 1960, Henry joined his sister and became the owner/operator of Stoney鈥檚 Pawn Shop until 1998. He is now a youthful 97-year-old.
One of the most important touchstones of his legacy was the located at Temple Beth Sholom. He feared that history of the Remembrance Garden and what it represented would fade with the passing of people such as himself and Ben.
To Henry, the history of the Remembrance Garden deserved a video, something simple where he would talk about its founding and who it honored. Little did we know how others would step up to make this small project bloom into the documentary A Place of Hope. The film will premiere at the Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival at 3 p.m. Jan. 21 at Adelson Education Campus. I鈥檒l be on hand to help moderate the post-viewing discussion.
I鈥檓 credited as a consultant on the film and am the off-screen interviewer to whom Henry tells his story. I also introduced budding cinematographer Robert Machado, 鈥17 BS Film Studies, to the production team. All the film work is done by this talented 性视界传媒 graduate.
In charge of the production was Ben Huber, a writer/producer from Los Angeles who volunteered his talents to eloquently write and direct the film. His script provides the historical context of the Warsaw ghetto during World War II and uses Henry鈥檚 and Ben鈥檚 personal stories of survival. Mark Scheiner, who is one of the founders of the Warsaw Ghetto Remembrance Garden, served as producer. The film honors the garden鈥檚 history and reminds us of the importance of remembering the past.
Pista, another locally produced film, also will premiere at the same screening. It is the story of another local Holocaust survivor, Stephen Nasser, and is based on Stephen鈥檚 memoirs. It is produced by the film festival鈥檚 director, Joshua Abbey, 鈥80 BA Theatre,.
Also don鈥檛 miss:
- Sammy Davis Jr.: I鈥檝e Gotta Be Me, which opens the 2018 Jewish Film Festival on Jan. 13. Claytee White, director of the Oral History Research Center, will moderate a post-viewing conversation. Sammy Davis Jr. is remembered as the iconic entertainer who graced Las Vegas showrooms and converted to Judaism during his career in Las Vegas.
- Wanderlust: Lesley Hazelton at 1 p.m. Jan. 28 at Eclipse Theaters. Moderating is Kellen Braddock, deputy director of 性视界传媒鈥檚 Black Mountain Institute and publisher of The Believer Magazine. Hazleton is a author whose work focuses on "the vast and volatile arena in which politics and religion intersect.鈥
is available online. All students and educators are admitted free to every screening.
For more information on the Southern Nevada Jewish Heritage Project, contact Tabach at Barbara.tabach@unlv.edu or 702-895-2222.
