Israeli-American Council establishes Las Vegas presence

Members of the Israeli-American community in Southern Nevada plan to join forces like never before.

Part of that effort will be opening an Israeli-American Council regional office in Las Vegas. The Los Angeles-based council is the largest Israeli-American organization in the country.

The council will make a commitment of about $200,000 for the first year to help jump start the new office, said Shawn Evenhaim, national chairman for the Israeli-American Council. It will re-evaluate its investment for future years.

In addition, a local council, with about 20 members, has been established to help guide the office and the activities it will offer. Each member has committed a minimum of $5,000, Evenhaim said.

“In Vegas there was a large community and there was a need,” Evenhaim said Tuesday.

The council’s three main objectives are to support the next generation, support Israel and to unite the Israeli-American community and the Jewish-American community.

The council has opened four offices, including the one in Las Vegas, in five months in cities that have a large Israeli-American population. Other cities include Miami, Boston and New York, Evenhaim said.

It’s estimated that anywhere between 10,000 and 15,000 live in the Las Vegas area alone, he said.

The local leadership will choose the physical location of the office in the coming months.

Dr. Neville Pokroy, a kidney specialist and a local Israeli-American Council member, said he decided to participate with the local council because he believes in community involvement.

“Many are (now) involved in a variety of organizations from religious to nonreligious to educational, but it is never enough,” he said of groups in the community.

There’s constant dialogue among the local council members on the organization’s structure and potential offerings, what its bylaws will look like and possible locations for the operation, Pokroy said.

The regional director of the Las Vegas Regional Office will be Amir Eden, who now oversees Jewish Life and Israel Connection for K-12 at the Adelson Educational Campus, a private school in the northwest valley.

“It’s an honor to work with children,” said the 47-year-old, who will officially assume his role with the regional office on July 10.

In his new job, he will continue to work with the school as the local office will work to strengthen the connection to Israel and Jewish identity of the next generation.

The goal is to bring everyone together under one umbrella, Evenhaim said. The organization has several community events planned such as a celebration of Israel Independence Day on May 11 at The Venetian. The event is for families and is free of charge and open to the community. A similar event for a younger crowd is scheduled for May 6 at Tivoli Village.

The council is known for promoting cultural initiatives and encouraging activism.

The council will not only provide financial support for the local office, but will also funnel resources for programming and share human resources accounting systems from the council’s head­quarter’s office.

The local office plans to work with existing organizations in the state and to serve people of all ages, Eden said.

“We are here to work with everyone and we are here to make sure we do the right thing, which is to serve our people,” Eden said Friday.

Richard Frankoff, executive director of the Jewish Community Center in Las Vegas, said he’s excited about the new office coming to the area. He’s worked with Eden in the past and looks forward to working with him in the future.

“It will solidify the community and contribute not only to the Las Vegas Israeli community, but the Las Vegas community overall,” he said.

Elliot Karp, president and chief executive officer for the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas, said the federation welcomes the new regional office. He said it will build stronger ties between the Israeli-American community and the Jewish-American community.

The federation’s objective is to create a vibrant Jewish community, Karp said. “We see this as a new positive addition.”

Reporter Yesenia Amaro can be reached at yamaro@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.