ALL SHOOK UP! page 85

sence on television, was dubbed
his "comeback," and rejuvenated
his career. It was produced by Bob
Finkel, an Emmy Award-winner
for the "Andy Williams Show."

• When Elvis married Priscilla
Beaulieu on May 1, 1967, the cer-
emony wasn't performed in a
church in Memphis; it wasn't
sanctioned by the Church of Sci-
entology, either. No, Elvis and his
bride were hitched in Las Vegas
by none other than Nevada
Supreme Court Justice David
Zenoff.

• Elvis knew where to get a deal,
too.
Mordechai Yerushalami, Las
Vegas' "jeweler to the stars,"
moved to Vegas in 1973, where he
ran a shop at the Las Vegas
Hilton before opening a chain of
his own stores. Elvis was then ap-
pearing at the Hilton.
"[Presley's assistant] Joe Es-
posito came by the store one day
in 1973 and said Elvis wanted
some jewelry brought to the dress-
ing room," Yerushalami told Las
Vegas Style Magazine. Yerusha-
lami brought some gift items to
the dressing room, and Elvis pur-
chased about $25,000 worth.
"One thing I remember," said
Yerushalami, "is that Elvis always
believed the black diamond was
his birthstone. He was looking for
a true black diamond, but they
were hard to find. I told him I
would try to help."
Yerushalami located a source
in Israel from whom he ordered a
pure, uncut 11 112-carat stone. By

the time the stone was located and
the cutting was complete — re-
sulting in a 61/2-carat gem — sev-
eral years had passed.
Yerushalami called Joe Espos-
ito and told him he'd located the
diamond. Esposito said Elvis and
his group might stop in Vegas on
their way back from California to
Memphis to pick it up. If not, Es-
posito said he'd call from Mem-
phis to make arrangements for
the delivery.
The call never came. Elvis died
before the deal could be complet-
ed. Yerushalami returned the cut
stone to the dealer and it was sold
to someone else. But a copy of the
last check Yerushalami received
from Elvis hangs on the wall of his
main store in Vegas on Western
Avenue.
It wasn't only Jewish jewelers
to whom Elvis turned in times of
need. According to Jaffe, "Elvis
was comfortable depending on
Jewish people for support and ad-
vice. He would pick out doctors
with Jewish-sounding names be-
cause of his perception that Jew-
ish people were bright and
competent."

• Finally, when it came to reli-
gion, Elvis, like all talmudic schol-
ars, pondered all the possibilities.
"Elvis was a spiritual seeker, and
he studied Judaism and world re-
ligions," said Jaffe.
He was still looking for answers
when he died on August 16, 1977,
at age 42. Found in his bathroom,
he had passed out sitting on the
toilet while reading A Scientific

Search for the Face of Jesus. ❑

Elvis' Maternal
Family Tree

Richard Mansell

William Mansell
(1795-1842)

Morning Dove White
(18??-1835)

John Mansell
(1828-?)

Milege (Obe) Smith
(1837-1909)

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Elizabeth Gilmore

Nancy Tackett
(Elvis' allegedly Jewish
great-great-grandmother)

Anna Mansell Wh'te Mansell
(1854-1935
(1849-?)

Bob Smith
(?-1932)

Gladys Love Smith
(1912-1958)

Jesse Garon Presley
(1935 stillborn)

Martha Tackett
(1852-1887)

Octavia (Doll)
Mansell
Vernon Elvis Presley
(1916-1979)

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