Composer attribution
Who composed Eitz Chaim Hi?
Tanchum Gershon Portnoy composed the widely sung Jewish melody “Eitz Chaim Hi”, also called Etz Chaim, Eitz Chayim Hi, or “Tree of Life.”
The original recording appeared on Portnoy’s 1975 album Tanchumim. Avraham Yanon, also known as Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus, sang it, and Yisroel Lamm arranged it. The words “Eitz Chaim Hi” come from Proverbs 3:18.
Sources: Hal Leonard sheet-music credit · National Library of Israel album record
Press: “The Melody Remembers” by Menachem Butler, Tablet Magazine, September 14, 2026