Holocaust Museum LA is the first survivor-founded Holocaust museum in the United States. Its genesis dates to the 1960s, when a group of survivors met and discovered that each of them had a photograph, document or personal item from before the war. They decided that these artifacts needed a permanent home where they could be displayed safely and in perpetuity. They also wanted a place to memorialize their dead and help to educate the public so that no one would ever forget.

Since 1961, the Museum has provided free Holocaust education to students and visitors from California, fulfilling the mission of the founding Holocaust survivors to commemorate, educate and inspire. The Museum is open seven days a week, and because the founding survivors insisted that no visitors ever be turned away from learning about the Holocaust for lack of an entry fee, Museum admission is always free to California residents.

On October 14, 2010, Holocaust Museum LA opened the doors to its permanent home in Pan Pacific Park. The Museum building, designed by acclaimed architect Hagy Belzberg, has received many architectural awards, including LEED Gold Certification, AIA Awards for Architecture and Interior Architecture, the Los Angles Cultural Affairs Commission Design Honor Award and the Green Building Design Award.