The mission statement of the museum is "to educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the broad tapestry of Jewish life in the 20th and 21st centuries—before, during, and after the Holocaust.

The Morgenthau Wing, opened in 2003, contains the museum's offices, theater, and classrooms, as well as the Irving Schneider and Family exhibition gallery.

[3] David Altshuler was the founding director of the museum, a position he held from 1984 until December 1999, when he left to become president of the Trust for Jewish Philanthropy.

[6]: 5 U.S. President Jimmy Carter, with the support of Mayor Ed Koch, proposed placing the national memorial in New York City instead of Washington, D.C., but it was ruled out.

The plans were not completely accomplished in the beginning because the funds were not sufficient to cover the vision, so in the early 2000, the realization took place with the guidance of David Marwell.

[7] In 2003, the dedication of the Robert M. Morgenthau wing included auditoria, classrooms, conference center, and a temporary exhibition space.

Through a rotating collection that included artifacts, photographs, and documentary films, the Core Exhibition placed the Holocaust in the larger context of modern Jewish history.

It was housed in the museum's six-sided building, symbolic of the six points of the Star of David and the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.

[14] Andy Goldsworthy's living memorial garden, his first permanent commission in New York City, opened to the public on September 17, 2003.

This contemplative space, meant to be revisited and experienced differently over time as the garden matures, is visible from almost every floor of the museum.

Past programs have included symposia on the Holocaust, interfaith dialogues, and concerts featuring established and emerging artists.

Over the last few years, the museum has held a day-long symposium on Darfur with policy makers and leaders on human rights; presented performers such as Idan Raichel and David Strathairn; hosted film screenings with actors and directors such as Kirk Douglas, John Turturro, Quentin Tarantino, Claude Lanzmann, and Ed Zwick; explored Justice after the Holocaust with experts like Alan Dershowitz; and hosted the revival of a Yiddish operetta, Die Goldene Kale.

In September 2000, the Auschwitz Jewish Center opened its doors to honor the former residents of the town and to teach future generations about what was lost.

The United States Service Academy Program takes cadets and midshipmen to Poland for a three-week trip to learn from survivors, scholars, and historians.