Chartered by the Italian government in 2003, MEIS contains over 200 artifacts and exhibits that proceed chronologically through the periods of Jewish history in Italy.

MEIS was established by an act of the Italian Parliament passed unanimously in 2003, which originally planned for the museum to focus only on the Holocaust.

[5] On October 28, 2019, the museum signed an agreement with the Colosseum in Rome to work together on educational programs about the role of Jews in the construction of the ancient amphitheater.

[1][7][8] Though MEIS does not yet have a collection of its own, it displays about 200 loaned artifacts from Jewish history in Italy – including documents, manuscripts, instruments, jewelry, ceremonial objects, and household goods – show how Jews contributed to Italian society.

Opened in March 2019, the second permanent exhibition is called "The Renaissance Speaks Hebrew", which features a Torah scroll dating to the 13th century from Biella in Italy's Piedmont region.

[1] As of 2019, MEIS is constructing five additional adjoining glass buildings on its 2.48-acre (1.00 ha) site, architecturally designed to represent the five books of the Torah.

[6] The finished complex will include a library, auditorium, Ferrara's first two kosher restaurants, shop, archive, educational spaces, and a section for youth.