The Museum was founded in 1990 with a commitment to bequeath to future generations the historical and spiritual heritage of Hungarian Speaking Jewry - Jews from Hungary and its surroundings: Transylvania, Slovakia, Carpathian Russia, Backa, Banat and Burgenland. Flourishing Jewish communities in central Europe have preserved their way of life for centuries and constituted fertile ground for the development of Judaism and Zionism alike. Scholars and rabbis, artists and intellectuals, scientists and researchers emerged and the Hungarian Jewry acquired the appreciation of other nations and world Jewry. But the Holocaust interrupted the creative springs and the lives of 600,000 members of the community. The Museum aims to honor the memory of the victims and rescue from oblivion the seal that has left this community for the Hungarian society, the European culture and the Jewish history.
The Museum presents the visitor an exciting and unique experience about the life of a Hungarian-speaking Jewish communities, their achievements, and, of course, the Holocaust. The museum serves as a place of pilgrimage for visitors from Israel and abroad and has a rich and extensive archive on families, cemeteries, synagogues and a unique library that deals with various aspects of the community.