The Broth Family have been members of Midbar Kodesh Temple for 14 years. Andrea and Mitch moved from Hackensack, NJ to Henderson, NV in December 2003 with their 3½ year old son, Sam. Andrea was 6½ months pregnant with their daughter, Carly. Some of Mitch’s f amily were already living in the Las Vegas area. Mitch was working at the Israel Discount Bank (IDB) in New York City as a relationship manager. He decided to interview with Wells Fargo in Las Vegas and was offered a simi

Camp Shemesh at Midbar Kodesh Temple recently finished a successful run at the synagogue and proved to be a model regarding safety protocols to protect the children and staff during the pandemic. Much time was spent with a group made up of doctors, lawyers and educators on the best way to offer a safe environment above the standards set by the CDC. With no touch thermometers in hand, and a morning line up of teachers lifting toddlers out of their child seats and walking the

During the last few months that have kept us separated physically from synagogue life the members of Midbar Kodesh Temple have found ways to connect. Rabbi Bradley Tecktiel said that what has helped so many of the congregants during these difficult times is the strength of our community and the gift of togetherness, even if that togetherness is over Zoom and Facebook Live. He said that “it has been heartening to see the ways the community has remained connected and supportiv

Judie and Neal Lewis arrived in Las Vegas in 1979 from Encino, CA after meeting in Los Angeles and getting married in 1970. Judie is originally from Philadelphia, PA where she taught elementary school after graduating from Temple University with a Masters Degree in Education. After moving to Los Angeles, Judie continued her studies at Cal State Northridge in Special Education becoming a teacher of the deaf and hearing impaired. Both Judie and Neal are fluent in American Sign

“Memento Park” is a story of restitution, of a man seeking to recover a painting he believes was looted from his family in Hungary during World War II. This art themed novel revolves around history, relationships and the painting "Budapest Street Scene" by Hungarian Ervin Laszlo Kalman. Matt Santos is a non-practicing Jew and a first generation American. His father, with whom he has a difficult relationship, immigrated from Hungary in the 1950s. Matt is both surprised and puz

Jill and Mike Bell have been members of Midbar Kodesh Temple since 2010 while their daughter Charley, now 15, was enrolled in preschool at the Early Childhood Center. Mike came to Las Vegas from Houston in 1995 and Jill arrived in 1998 from Campbell, California. They met while Jill was in Las Vegas on vacation. After a long distance romance Jill moved to Las Vegas and they were married. Mike grew up in Phoenix, AZ and attended college on an athletic scholarship at Florida Sta

Life for many Midbar Kodesh Temple congregants has been upended due to the on-going pandemic. So many of us depend on structure and now it seems that every day is different for so many. But a group of congregants have successfully been putting some structure back into the lives of the congregation. Each Sunday, Monday, and Thursday they share a mitzvah by ensuring the presence of a morning weekday minyan for the membership through Zoom. This selfless gesture enables those who

Marv Abramson, with his wife Gail, of blessed memory, moved to Las Vegas in March 2000 from Omaha, Nebraska, where he lived for 62 years. They joined Midbar Kodesh Temple in 2001, and traveled to Israel with a synagogue group in 2005. In Omaha, Marv, Gail, and their children were members of Omaha's Beth El conservative community. Their children, now adults, were part of the USY program there. Marv retired as a layout foreman from Western Electric, which became known as Omah