Welcome to Lake Placid Synagogue

We are a 140-year-old synagogue and the only synagogue open all year in the Adirondack Park.

You will find us conveniently located within walking distance of the downtown commercial district and hotels.

Our history and mission.  

​Taken from the 120th Anniversary Booklet

Lake Placid Synagogue is the only year-round synagogue in the Adirondack Park. At one time there were two other synagogues that existed in the Tri-Lakes area. The Beth Joseph Synagogue in Tupper Lake was open during the summer months and is now a National Historic Monument. There was also the Jewish Community Center of Saranac Lake which ceased to exist in the early 1970's. Many of our forefathers came to Saranac Lake for the "cure." The "tuberculosis cure" industry, during the first half of this century, brought patients and their families, physicians, technicians, housekeepers, hotel owners and peddlers to Saranac Lake.

The history of Lake Placid Synagogue began with public Jewish religious services in the home of Isaac N. Feinberg in 1879 in Franklin Falls. Later, Feinberg moved to Lake Placid and brought the small congregation with him.

In 1903 the Jewish community decided to build its own place of worship, and on July 18, 1903, the Adirondack's first synagogue opened on Mill Street.  Isaac Feinberg donated a Sefer Torah. The Jewish community was quite small, consisting of the families of Isaac N. Feinberg, Isaac N. Polsky, Benjamin Goodritz, M.Cohen, Julius Feather, E. Edelman, Harry Wolf, Sholom Wolf and   Simon J. Volpert. With the generous aid of summer residents, especially the late Rabbi Steph S. Wise, PhD, the synagogue became a definite part of life in the community.

One summer resident, Adolph Leon, made it his ambition to build a new more beautiful synagogue in Lake Placid.  The beautiful Lake Placid Synagogue that we know today was built from Mr. Leon's estate donation.  The executors of his estate, his wife, Felicia Leon, Jacques Hailpern and Henry Z. Leon, provided a generous gift to build a new synagogue on Saranac Avenue. The Hailpern family added an additional generous donation and the late Fannie Henning, in her will, provided for the then-outstanding mortgage.

Today, approximately 25 year-round families maintain the synagogue.  We recognize the importance of having a place to worship throughout the year, a place to educate our children, and a place to socialize.  Shabbat services are held monthly for most of the year. During the summer months, services are held weekly on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings.  High Holy Days and other festivals are also observed.

The Torahs have been with the Lake Placid Synagogue for many years and some Torahs are now the property of the Lake Placid Synagogue because the nearby synagogues no longer exist.  It is the hope of this congregation that its membership will grow as new families move into the area and to increase our Library Fund to provide all residents of the area with a valuable source of Judaic materials.