01In brief
Temple Beth Israel is a Jewish congregation at 1 Bowman Street in Plattsburgh, New York. Historical records give conflicting founding dates: one gives 1861, while another gives April 27, 1865. A 2006–2007 census listed the congregation's supplementary school as Reform, and the Anti-Defamation League lists Temple Beth Israel in its Kulanu network.
02Overview
03History
The congregation has two documented founding dates. One historical record dates its organization to 1861, based on Union of American Hebrew Congregations statistics.[2] Another dates its founding to April 27, 1865, citing the American Jewish Year Book.[3] The available sources do not resolve the discrepancy.
By 1913, the congregation occupied an Oak Street synagogue, where services were held Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m.[7] A German School, Beth Israel, operated on Oak Street with Jacob Lubin as principal. Joel Lodge, No. 118, met on the first and third Sundays of each month in the synagogue's Sunday School rooms.[7]
The sources document Beth Israel on Oak Street in 1913 and at Bowman and Marcy Lane by October 1994, establishing that the congregation relocated within that interval. A university publication that month included an invitation to Temple Beth Israel services on Friday, October 28, at 8 p.m. as part of its Holocaust Remembrance Week schedule.[6]
04Early Religious Leadership
Rabbi Jacob Lubin served as minister of Congregation Beth Israel from 1898. Born in Germany on January 13, 1859, and educated there, he previously held positions in Prussia and in Pottsville, Trenton, Orange, and New York City. His Plattsburgh address was 57 Cornelia Street.[8]
In 1913, Isaac Merkel was president, Henry Scheier was vice-president, and Louis Miller was secretary and treasurer. The trustees were I. Scheier, Marcus Miller, and J. Mendelsohn.[7]
05Education and Community Life
A national census of Jewish supplementary schools for 2006–2007 listed Temple Beth Israel's school at 1 Bowman Street and identified it as Reform. The report withheld enrollment figures for individual schools under its confidentiality policy.[4] The Anti-Defamation League also lists Temple Beth Israel among the New York members of Kulanu: Synagogues in Action Against Antisemitism, a network intended to help congregations address antisemitism and hate in their communities.[5]
Sources
- 1JewishGen, NY State: PLATTSBURGH: (Clinton County) | New York NY | International Jewish Cemetery Project, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 2Hebrew Union College, Arthur J. Lelyveld, The Economic Life of American Jewry During the Period 1860–1875, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 3Hebrew Union College, Stanley R. Funston, A Chronology of American Jewish History, 1649–1961, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 4Berman Jewish Policy Archive, A Census of Jewish Supplementary Schools in the United States 2006–2007, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 5Anti-Defamation League, Apply to Kulanu: Synagogues In Action Against Antisemitism, accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 6Internet Archive, Full text of "Plattsburgh Weekly Fall 1994", accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 7Internet Archive, Full text of "Plattsburgh City Directory For...", accessed on September 26, 2026.
- 8Berman Jewish Policy Archive, American Jewish Year Book, Biographical Sketches of Rabbis and Cantors, accessed on September 26, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is Temple Beth Israel in Plattsburgh, New York?
Temple Beth Israel is a Jewish congregation located at 1 Bowman Street in Plattsburgh, New York. Historical records give conflicting founding dates, one citing 1861 and another citing April 27, 1865. The congregation's supplementary school has been identified as Reform, and Temple Beth Israel is listed among the New York members of the Anti-Defamation League's Kulanu network, which helps congregations address antisemitism and hate in their communities.
Why are there two different founding dates given for Temple Beth Israel in Plattsburgh?
Temple Beth Israel has two documented founding dates because they come from different sources: one historical record, based on Union of American Hebrew Congregations statistics, dates the congregation's organization to 1861, while another, citing the American Jewish Year Book, gives April 27, 1865. The available sources do not resolve the discrepancy.
Where was Temple Beth Israel located in 1913, and what activities took place there?
In 1913, Temple Beth Israel occupied a synagogue on Oak Street, where services were held on Fridays at 7 p.m. and Saturdays at 9:30 a.m. A German School called Beth Israel operated on the same street with Jacob Lubin as principal, and Joel Lodge, No. 118, met on the first and third Sundays of each month in the synagogue's Sunday School rooms.
Who was Rabbi Jacob Lubin, and what was his role at Temple Beth Israel?
Rabbi Jacob Lubin served as minister of Congregation Beth Israel from 1898. He was born in Germany on January 13, 1859, and educated there, and had previously held positions in Prussia and in Pottsville, Trenton, Orange, and New York City before serving in Plattsburgh, where his address was 57 Cornelia Street. In 1913 he also served as principal of the German School, Beth Israel, on Oak Street.
What is the Kulanu network, and what is Temple Beth Israel's connection to it?
Kulanu: Synagogues in Action Against Antisemitism is an Anti-Defamation League network intended to help congregations address antisemitism and hate in their communities. Temple Beth Israel is listed among the New York members of this network.