In the early twentieth century, Livingston Manor was a community of farms, bowling pins, tanning, and acid factories. Max Schwartz was the first Jewish settler, followed by a wave of Jewish families who became merchants and shop owners. They overcame local resistance and antisemitism by being good neighbors and significant contributors to community life. Agudas Achim, meaning Gathering of Brothers, was organized in 1913 as a community burial society. In 1924, construction of the schul on this site began. Working with his son Isaac, Max Brooks designed and built the building based on his memory of the synagogues in eastern Poland from his youth. The synagogue opened for worship in 1925, and the diverse Jewish community merged into a single congregation. Though Agudas Achim’s early members were not strongly observant, religious practices in the synagogue were strictly orthodox. By the late 1960s, the O&W Railroad ceased to service Livingston Manor, businesses started to close, and the local Jewish population declined. The remaining Jewish community continued to hold High Holiday services, but the building was closed the rest of the year. Early in the 1980s, several young people from Livingston Manor’s long-time Jewish families and some new to the community sought to enrich and enliven their Jewish presence there. With their guidance and that of elder members of the Jewish community, Agudas Achim was reconstituted as a reform congregation with a deep respect for tradition. Regular monthly Sabbath services and holiday celebrations were added to High Holy Day worship, attracting people from all over the Hudson Valley. After the onset of the 2020 pandemic, virtual services were added, allowing members and non-members to enjoy the warmth and spirit of Agudas Achim from anywhere in the world.