The Jewish Museum of Greece was founded in 1977 by the Jewish community of Athens. Housed at the  Melidoni Street Synagogue, this small museum contains objects from World War II and the everyday lives of Greek Jews.

A large part of the collection consists of items seized by the Bulgarians in Salonika and returned to Greece by the Bulgarian government after the war. Over the years rare books, valuable textiles, jewellery, religious objects and everyday articles were added to the museum. When the collection outgrew its modest footprint, curators opened several new exhibits in a building on Amalias Street, which is now open to the public.

In 1989 the museum became a legal entity, administered by a seven-member council. In the 1990s the museum’s current location on 39, Nikis Street was purchased and restored, and the museum moved in permanently.