Jews in Nevada: A History

Conclusion: The Past Need Not Be Prologue

9 283 0 When Isaac Cohn began his half-century residency in the shadow of the Comstock in 1850, few could have imagined the extent to which his fellow Jews would be instrumental in shaping Nevada’s economic, social, and political landscape. They were among the first to arrive in Nevada’s many isolated mining outposts. In those camps that became settled towns, Jews were among the chief merchants, taxpayers, officers of fraternal lodges, and respected city fathers. They constituted more than their slim percentage of the population as state and local elected officials. When the ore production played out and the state was desperate to diversify, Jews promoted boxing as a tourist attraction, which became the province of Bob Arum in Las Vegas a century later.1 From 1931 forward, Nevada’s gradual transition to a tourist economy based on gambling and entertainment reflected prominent Jewish involvement. In the intervening battle for desegregation of public facilities, Jewish men and women were among the leaders. Finally, major Jewish ownership and management of hotel-casinos in Las Vegas beginning in the 1950s was simply a prologue to the theme megaresorts introduced by Steve Wynn’s Mirage and followed by Sheldon Adelson’s Venetian. The model of religious observance left by Nevada Jews was more tortuous and considerably less spectacular. Early on, Jewish merchants generally adapted to the Christian Sabbath and made still more accommodations to the exigencies of the Sinai-like desert environment. Isolation, itinerancy, and the fragility of the mining economy militated against a minyan of Jews doing much more than establishing a benevolent society and purchasing a burial ground. Forming a permanent congregation required an organizational miracle. When Samuel Goldstone proudly announced the presence of one hundred Jews in Eureka in 1876, it was in the context of a focused community that had coalesced and determined to be part of official Reform Judaism. This starkly contrasted with Jacob Kaplan’s description of Virginia City Jewry riven by The Past Need Not Be Prologue c o n c l u s i o n jews in nevada 9 284 0 petty disputes. The state of Nevada’s Judaism was a mélange of dedicated commitment to Jewish ideals side by side with pockets of disagreement or, worse, indifference. Virginia City Jews could not agree on where and under whose auspices they might establish a Jewish library. Two competing B’nai B’rith lodges celebrated High Holidays in the earliest years of that city at two locations. Though Virginia City Jews could not find common ground to establish a permanent congregation among their over four hundred coreligionists, they proudly celebrated their heritage by sponsoring popular Purim balls, which were open to all. The Olcovich boys candidly explained that their newspaper was thin around High Holidays because they were Jews and did not work on Yom Kippur. Newspapermen teased Jewish merchants about not taking off enough weight during the traditional fast. Being Jewish was not a mark of shame in small-town Nevada, and public demonstrations of antisemitism were a rarity until modern times. The lack of fear about being Jewish did not slow the process of cultural adaptation that inexorably eroded Jewish identity. Perhaps because Nevada Jews were normally not on the defensive because of their religion or ethnicity , they more easily lost their sense of religious and cultural differences from the Gentile population. The history of Jewry—particularly in Europe—was of a chosen people singled out for discrimination, which had the salutary side effect of bonding “us against them.” Nevada’s Jewish men, women, and children interacted daily in stores and schools with Gentiles who provoked neither anxiety nor a fear of friendship. From there it was a short step for some to adopt the religion of these amicable Christians; for others, maintaining Jewish tradition was difficult. Despite poor odds and attendant costs, Nevada Jews maintained a semblance of Judaism for seventy years. They imported rabbis to perform brises and weddings and, for a short time, to kosher their meat products. Communal Sabbath services were virtually nonexistent, but generally Passover, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur observance could be found in even the most remote locations. Laymen from B’nai B’rith or the local Hebrew Benevolent Society led worship, while laywomen in Eureka and Reno were the mainstays of small Hebrew schools. Out-migration after 1880 saved Judaism for some, whereas marriages to Gentiles routinely spelled the end of observance for those who stayed. [18.224.73.125] Project...