The original Jewish Museum of Vienna was founded in 1896 and was the first Museum of its kind in the world. The Museum existed with the support of the "Society for the collection and preservation of artistic and historic monuments of Jewry". He was focused on the history and culture of Jews in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. His collection of objects and products from Palestine also reflected the political debate about Zionism. The Museum was closed immediately after the seizure of Austria by the Nazis. In the last year of its existence it had 6474 various exhibits. In 1939, they were transferred to the Museum of Ethnology and other institutions.

Most of the things were returned to the Jewish community in the early 1950-ies, but some managed to return only in the 1990s. Many of the exhibits were lost. When the New Jewish Museum was inventoried, it turned out that half of the original disappeared. But the remaining things are very rare exhibits, representing how the objects of everyday life and unique materials.

31 December 1964 small Jewish Museum was opened in a newly constructed building on Temperance, but has not received almost no public attention. After 3 years the Museum had already closed.

The first exhibition of the new Jewish Museum of Vienna was opened on 7 March 1990 in temporary premises at the offices of the Jewish community. A significant part of the exhibition was compiled from the collection of max Berger. In 1992, the Museum moved to its present home in the Palais Eskeles in Dorotheergasse. The Museum was opened only a year later, in 1993. The library was open to the public since 1994.

From autumn 2011 the Museum opened its doors after a complete renovation, as the building itself and update the permanent exhibition. After repair, the Jewish Museum greets visitors with a new lighting system, which was made in accordance with the original. Permanent exhibits in the Museum are arranged in three zones.