It served the large summer population of Jews from the New York City area who vacationed at family resorts in the region.
[1] After a period of decline in the decades after World War II, following the demise of the local resort industry in the Catskills as people went further for vacations, Agudas Achim officially became a Reform congregation to attract new members.
The synagogue is located a few blocks from downtown Livingston Manor on the west side of Rock Avenue, the former route of state highway NY 17.
[1] On the east (front) facade is a two-story central projecting entrance pavilion with steep concrete steps leading up to a porch with gabled roof and "AGUDAS ACHIM" in large letters in its entablature.
[1] The front pavilion is echoed on the west (rear) with a smaller one holding the Torah ark and decorated with three Star-of-David windows directly above it.
[1] From the porch, paneled, glazed double doors lead into a small vestibule, which opens into a single large sanctuary.
Light is provided by a centrally located iron chandelier, supplemented by four hanging lanterns, wall sconces and decorative fixtures on the bimah and ark platform.
[1] The synagogue building reflects the dual influence of the Eastern European background of its founders and the existing local Protestant Christian churches.
On the exterior, the former influence is strongest in the dual turrets on the facade, scaled-down versions of a common motif of the synagogues of Eastern Europe.
[1] Agudas Achim's steep gabled roof and arched windows are both unusual features on synagogues, reflecting the meetinghouse tradition of the older Baptist and Presbyterian churches in the Catskills.
The synagogue's layout, with the bimah in the center, reflects what was contemporary Orthodox Jewish practice in Eastern Europe.
It is not known, however, if this spareness was adopted from the influence of the local Protestant traditions or simply due to a lack of funds for such decorative touches.
Along with the Sullivan County resort industry, it went into a slow decline after World War II when other vacation opportunities opened up to the region's primarily Jewish clientele.
Jewish settlement in the Livingston Manor area began in 1882 when what was then known as the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad built a depot there.
[1] In 1900, with the arrival of a new wave of Jews from Eastern Europe, new resorts were developed that catered specifically to Jewish guests.
Local members of The Workmen's Circle (known at the time by its Yiddish name, the Arbeiterring) started a school for Jewish children.
[1] Beginning in that decade, newer Jewish arrivals in Livingston Manor were as committed to Judaism as a faith as well as a culture.
In 1922, the more religious Jews gained the upper hand in the community following the departure of some of the Arbeittering members, and incorporated the congregation of Agudas Achim.
[1] The Jews of Livingston Manor and their synagogue prospered during the Depression due to a summer influx of middle-class garment workers from the city.
Jews began to leave the village, and by 1972 Agudas Achim was open only during the High Holy Days and beginning to deteriorate.
[4] The congregation president at the time, Leon Siegel, invested Ladies' Aid Society funds from the 1960s to create an endowment that helped pay for repair and maintenance of the building.