The museum is operated and maintained by the Jewish Architectural Heritage Foundation of New York and Asociația Memoraliă Hebraică Nușfalău (a Romanian NGO), with the support of the Claims Conference, Elie Wiesel National Institute for Studying the Holocaust in Romania, among other philanthropic and pedagogical partners.

During the height of its use, the synagogue was used for worship and religious ceremonies by Jewish families from the city of Șimleu Silvaniei, as well as surrounding villages such as Giurtelecu Șimleului (Somlyógyőrtelek) and Nușfalău (Szilágynagyfalu).

In May/June 1944, when the city was part of Hungary (as a consequence of the territorial agreement known as the Second Vienna Award), the area's Jewish population was forced out of their homes into the brutal Cehei ghetto and from there packed into cattle cars and transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

[3][4] Following 15 years of setbacks, in November 2004, after the presentation of the Wiesel International Commission's report to the President of Romania, the country finally acknowledged in an official position the full dimensions of the Romanian Holocaust.

[8] In the Spring of 2008, the Museum inaugurated the Șimleu Silvaniei Multicultural Holocaust Education and Research Center; used to host lectures and seminars on the subject, with programs geared to students, teachers and academics.