Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem - Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem

Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem

Agudath Israel and Etz Ahayem merged in 2001. Agudath Israel's Rabbi Plotkin oversaw the merger, and became the rabbi of the merged congregation, Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem. Along with the new name, the synagogues combined traditions, and Ashkenazi and Sephardi rituals. Plotkin moved to Albuquerque's Congregation B'nai Israel in May 2002.

From 2002 to 2006 Stephen Listfield was the rabbi; for the previous eight years he had been the rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom in Pompton Lakes, New Jersey. Listfield led protests by the congregation against the posthumous induction into the Alabama Military Hall of Honor of prominent United States Navy officer, frequent political candidate, and outspoken antisemite John G. Crommelin. Listfield moved to Pittsburgh's Tree of Life Congregation in August, 2006.

In 2007, Scott Kramer became the congregation's rabbi, his first rabbinic post. A native of Baltimore, Kramer had a Master's degree in physics from the University of Utah, and for over two decades had worked as a software engineer. He began studying at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the American Jewish University in 2002, and was ordained there in 2007. As of 2010, Kramer was Agudath Israel Etz Ahayem's rabbi and Raymond Cohen was the president.