Meet Our Midbar Kodesh Family - Sandy & Steve Bass

Steve and Sandy Bass, with two young sons, joined Midbar Kodesh Temple so that Harrison who is 8 and Howard who is 4, would find a Jewish community and Jewish education. They moved to Las Vegas from Tampa, Florida to begin a new life after Steve's service with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan and Iraq. He was deployed with the Fort Carson, Colorado 4th Infantry Division. Even though most of their family is still on the east coast they selected Las Vegas because of its easy access to the new VA hospital, where Steve can get medical services needed from injuries suffered in the line of duty.

Steve and Sandy grew up in Tampa and went to the same high school and through social media, reconnected about 20 years ago. Steve said that from their first date they realized that they "had been looking for each other their whole adult lives." Steve was a realtor in Tampa and Sandy had just graduated from the University of South Florida with an accounting degree. They married on December 7, 2008. He joined the U.S. Army soon after so that he could give back to America after 9/11. They have traveled and lived in many cities but Steve says that Las Vegas is the best city in America, meeting all of their needs.

Sandy is a food blogger and can adapt the menus in observance of kashrut.

You can see her columns at: sandyskitchenadventures.com;

on Instagram @sandskitchenadventures

and on Facebook under Sandy's Kitchen Adventures: Healthy Lean and Green Recipes

Steve is using his time at home during the pandemic as an artist, writer and investor. Below is one of his pieces of art. Most importantly, he said that he is now the "substitute" teacher while CCSD hosts classes online. Steve said that "we love the people at MKT and are so happy to be a member. My sons look forward to learning Hebrew and having a Bar Mitzvah in a few years. I’ve found in life that when I open the Torah my life gets better. I’ve also found that when I attended services at MKT my life and my family’s life got better too." Steve and Sandy look forward to meeting the members of Midbar Kodesh Temple in the future and hope to build an extended family at the synagogue.