Monday, April 27, 1998 | 9:45 a.m.
Greenspun. Cohen. Greenbaum. Dalitz.
They are but four of the names who built Las Vegas, men who paved figurative streets of gold out of desert sand by creating one of the most prosperous resort destinations in the world.
Yet it was for their Jewish heritage that these four and numerous others were celebrated Sunday during an educational evening hosted by the Women's Division of the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas.
"From Bugsy to Buffets" drew a crowd of more than 200 guests, among them some of the most prominent families in the Jewish community whose names were recognized during the first half of the program in Dr. Al Balboni's presentation, "The Jews Who Built Las Vegas."
"The Jews contributed so much to so many cities," began Balboni, Community College of Southern Nevada professor and accomplished author.
Referencing the arts, science and philanthropy that characterizes places like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland, San Francisco and Los Angeles, Balboni added that "Las Vegas is different, it is not your typical American City, and the Jewish contributions are different as well."
The Jewish population in Las Vegas has remained small since the city's early days in 1940 when a mere 9,000 people called this stretch of desert home. Today, Jews number less than two percent of the community topping one million.
The Flamingo hotel-casino, for example, was among the first notable developments in the post-WWII period. Gus Greenbaum was among those keeping the property profitable following original owner Ben Siegel's demise.
Walking listeners down the Strip, Balboni mentioned Ed Levinson, Ed Levy and Aaron Weisberg among the Jews credited with the Sands hotel-casino's success. Sam Cohen and David Berman were among the key executives at the Riviera, Milton Prell was integral in developing the Sahara hotel-casino, and Burton Cohen -- one of many powerful Cohens in the city -- achieved success with the Desert Inn.
Irwin Molasky was a partner in the ownership of the Desert Inn and Stardust hotels years ago.
Jews also contributed to the development of downtown, among them Mel Exber of the Las Vegas Club fame.
Balboni illustrated Moe Dalitz as one of the best examples of a Jewish man's contributions.
"Dalitz had a vision of what Las Vegas has come to be today," Balboni said, "and he could see in the '50s that it had to be more than casinos ... he saw the possibility of developing Las Vegas as a resort destination in Southern Nevada."
Dalitz, who headed up the Desert Inn in the early days, was active in developing the Las Vegas Golf Course, played a big role in setting up the Tournament of Champions, and was a powerful force behind the building of Sunrise Hospital, the Boulevard Mall, and the Maryland Parkway area.
The YMCA and the Hebrew Academy were among the institutions benefiting from Dalitz's philanthropy.
Balboni also recognized attorney Oscar Goodman and Joe Yablonsky, former agent-in-charge of the FBI's Las Vegas office, as Jews who've contributed locally.
Michael Green, a historian at CCSN and author of numerous articles on Las Vegas, led the second half of the program with "The Hank Greenspun Story."
Described by Green as one of the most powerful, colorful and controversial figures in Nevada's history, Greenspun came to Las Vegas in 1946 and was involved in starting the Flamingo and Desert Inn.
"Hank Greenspun always acted on principle," Green said. "He placed loyalty above all, especially to his family and friends, and especially to Judaism. He believed in making a difference."
He opened the city's second radio station, which became KRAM-AM 1340, helped start KLAS-TV 8, invested in cable television, built the Paradise Valley Country Club, and bought thousands of acres of land in Henderson which would later become Green Valley, the first major, master-planned suburb.
Publisher of the Las Vegas SUN for nearly 40 years, "he fought for, and used his newspaper in, a variety of causes and crusades, prompting his supporters to celebrate him and his critics to condemn him."
He came from a family with deep Jewish identity, including a paternal grandfather who was a cantor in a synagogue. After receiving his law degree, he spent four years in the Army during World War II, working on the camp newspaper and in ordinance, gaining expertise in guns and ammunition.
"His chance to fight the Nazis, and see vestiges of the Holocaust, enhanced his sense of his own religion," Green said. "He received the Croix de Guerre, but contended that his biggest battle was winning the hand of Barbara Ritchie," whom he met and married in Ireland in 1944.
He came to Las Vegas in 1946 when one of his legal clients, Joe Smoot, invited him to be a partner in a race track, Green said. Greenspun visited the town that seemed to him "a perfect paradise of majestic mountains, infinite skies, and balmy air that looked and felt like warm, breathable crystal."
He published the semi-monthly entertainment magazine, Las Vegas Life, and eventually won an advertising contract, although much short-lived, from Siegel who wanted Greenspun to be the Flamingo's publicist.
"In December 1947, (Greenspun's) cousin, Ray Selk, introduced him to Al Schwimmer," Green said. "They enlisted Greenspun's help in their work for the Haganah, a defense group run by Jewish leaders seeking arms and aid for the fight to establish the new nation of Israel."
After making deals around the world, Greenspun was ultimately responsible for sending 58 crates of machine guns and ammunition to Israel, Green said. Greenspun was later indicted for violating the Neutrality Act for shipping planes to Israel without a license and running guns and ammunition to Israel. The penalty which hurt Greenspun the most, Green said, was losing the right to vote.
He took over the former Las Vegas Free Press in June 1950, when its printers were looking for a buyer, promising to "remain dedicated to the people of Southern Nevada because the people are always right."
Greenspun took aim at various politicians with the SUN, among them Senator Pat McCarran who he thought was anti-Semitic, and Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, who he would go on to call a "sadistic pervert and ... the queer who made Milwaukee famous."
He continued his crusades against nuclear waste disposal and took up the cause of U.S. District Judge Harry Claiborne (accused of filing false tax returns) among other monumental challenges before his death in 1989 from stomach cancer, a month shy of his 80th birthday.
Green closed by recalling former Gov. Mike O'Callaghan's eulogy at Greenspun's funeral: "His almost 80 years ... made this a better world."
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