It is the first museum of its kind in Portugal, located in the last stronghold of the crypto-Jewish community established there around the 15th century.

[1][2] The museum displays over a hundred religious, everyday, and professional use items used by Jewish families, especially Beira Interior and Trás-os-Montes.

[3] The museum was inaugurated on April 17, 2005, by the then Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Augusto Santos Silva.

[1][2] In August 2017 the museum reopened after undergoing a renovation project costing 350,000 USD, also introducing interactive exhibitions.

António Dias Rocha, the mayor of Belmonte, stated to the Lusa news agency that the renovated museum is expected to become a significant center for Sephardic culture, aiming to explain the Jewish community's long history in Belmonte and attract 100,000 visitors annually.