In some 80 years, today's United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey evolved from a group of charitable organizations in Newark to a network of agencies and programs serving the Jewish communities of Essex, Morris, Sussex, and North Union counties. Its fundraising arm, the United Jewish Appeal of MetroWest NJ, supports human services programs in Israel and worldwide, as well as locally.

The first step toward UJC of MetroWest was taken at an executive committee meeting in 1922, followed by the formal incorporation of the Conference of Jewish Charities of Newark in 1923.

The term United Jewish Appeal originated in this community in 1926, when the annual fundraising campaigns of the three major local Jewish communal groups were merged into one campaign. This was the first use of the name that was later adopted by the national UJA (founded in 1939), which soon became the best known Jewish philanthropic organization in the world.

Over the years, the communal organization went through several name changes, reflecting its expansion from Newark into Essex County and beyond.

A historic milestone occurred in 1983, when the Jewish Community Federation of Metropolitan New Jersey and the United Jewish Federation of Morris and Sussex merged to form the United Jewish Federation of MetroWest. In 1992, the dedication of the Alex Aidekman Family Jewish Community Campus provided a home for the federation and several agencies and a central address for the Jewish community. Another major step was taken in 2002, as the organization was renamed United Jewish Communities of MetroWest New Jersey. Its goal is expressed by its new logo, showing individuals forming a community, and its tag line, "Touching lives every day. Every way.