Congregation Agudath Israel of West Essex was founded in 1920 as the Jewish League of Caldwell by approximately 30 families who banded together in recognition of the need for a Jewish spiritual presence in the Caldwells.

With more Jewish families moving to the area, a donation of land on Academy Road was made for the building of a new synagogue, which cost $100,000. Construction began on April 8, 1951, and the building was dedicated on  April 20, 1952.

To accomodate the increasing enrollment, a house and property adjacent to the synagogue was purchased in November 1955 and converted into a Hebrew school and meeting rooms.

In 1960, a more liberal congregation called to change the name to Congregation Agudath Israel of West Essex.

A building committee was appointed in 1962, and a year later, plans for another expansion were approved. Plans were drawn for a new sanctuary, social hall and kitchen to be built on the new property and connect with the existing facility. A new Hebrew School was also built with the previous structure used for offices and additional nursery school classrooms.

In 2000, the congregation celebrated its 80th anniversary and have since made further improvements to the sanctuary and nursery school.