People

The Buffalo region has been home to a wide range of individuals associated with local Jewish communities and Jewish networks from the 1820s through to the contemporary period as immigrants, citizens, residents and locals.

Institutions

Buffalo Jews have a rich history of forming both formal and informal institutions for religious, educational, political and social needs. From synagogues to organizations, and from coordinating agencies to groups and clubs, Jewish Buffalonians have seen a changing range of institutions supported by group endeavors and community philanthropy.

Neighborhoods

In living memory, the East Side and North Buffalo stand out as physically connected and interwoven religious and commercial centers of Jewish living. In contrast to these specific areas are the mini hubs identified with Jewish living and connected to a more dispersed idea of neighborhood. Separately, suburbia with its significant geographic spread, has redefined how a series of Jewish spaces come together with a mix of hubs, focal points and networks.

Themes

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Exhibitions

Special exhibitions, through a focus on particular individuals and subjects, delves into the personal stories that have animated Jewish lives. Each digital exploration reflects on the interplay between place, identities and changing times and the way in which American, Jewish and Buffalo historical experiences are deeply interwoven.

Resources

Materials that document Jewish Buffalo in all its diversity are found in books, articles, archives and museums, many of which are available locally or online. This section highlights some of these sources and will be updated regularly.

Saranac Synagogue, Side view

Side view of the Saranac Shul created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.

Synagogues  /  Saranac Shul

The Saranac Shul was founded in North Buffalo as Yeshivath Achei Tmimim Lubavitz in 1940 and is now Congregation Achei Tmimim. The congregation moved to 85 Saranac Avenue in the 1950s.

Overview

Congregation Achei Tmimim was founded in 1940 in North Buffalo as Yeshivath Achei Tmimim Lubavitz. The building at 85 Saranac was purchased from Congregation Ner Israel in 1952 from when, like so many other synagogues, it became commonly known by its location name. Some of the congregations members had affiliated with other synagogues such as Ohel Jacob, and because of these origins Saranac honors Hungarian Chassidic minhagim (customs) and Nusach Sfard. A memorial board from Ohel Jacob is maintained by the Saranac.

This building itself was originally constructed as a Methodist Church in 1918, but later functioned as a Masonic Temple. From 1931, it has served as home to two separate synagogues and a school, sometimes simultaneously including The Hebrew Academy of Buffalo (once led by Rabbi Harry Fogelman), as well as host to other institutions, most notably the North Buffalo Jewish Community Center and the Torah Center.

Over the years a number of Rabbis have served the Congregation including Rabbi Michael Eisenberger, Rabbi David Massis, Rabbi Shalom Fischbein and Rabbi Jay Spero, as well as gabbaim including Charles Rosen and David Kunkel.

Locations

Building Tour

by Synagogues360

Associated Families

Family names associated with the Saranac include:

  • Greenberg
  • Gorin
  • Silverstein
  • Harnick
  • Reiman
  • Bleichfeld
  • Tulchinsky
  • Weiss
  • Keller
  • Wallens
  • Lefkowitz
  • Saffron
  • Glaser
  • Lipshutz
  • Spitalny
  • Yellen
  • Tennenbaum
  • Meshorer
  • Schrutt
  • Sapowitch
  • Shaffran
  • Horowitz
  • Seimons
  • Shulimson
  • Budowitz
  • Rosen
  • Sull
  • Sobel
  • Cowan
  • Bass
  • Litwak
  • Burstein

Articles

Gallery

Saranac Synagogue, Menorah Image

Menorah image in stained glass at the Saranac Shul, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.

Saranac Synagogue, Menorah Image

Saranac Synagogue, Rear View

Rear View of Saranac Shul, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.

Saranac Synagogue, Rear View

Saranac Synagogue, Star of David Entranceway

Star of David Entranceway into Saranac Shul, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.

Saranac Synagogue, Star of David Entranceway

Saranac Synagogue, Alternative View

Alternative view of the Saranac Shul, created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.

Saranac Synagogue, Alternative View

Saranac Synagogue, Side View

Side view of the Saranac Shul created by Izon Productions-Don Dannecker, 2017. The image is reproduced with permission of the Foundation for Jewish Philanthropies.

Saranac Synagogue, Side View

Discover More

  • Selig Adler and Thomas E. Connolly, From Ararat to Suburbia: The History of the Jewish Community of Buffalo. Philadelphia, JPS: 1960.

Contribute to this Page

We are seeking internal photographs, documents, film, mementos and written recollections relating to the Saranac Shul and its community for digitization. If you have materials you’d like to make available for this purpose, please contact us.
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