Sponsored by B’nai B’rith International, the “Boston Unites Against Terror: Hostage Tunnel Immersive Exhibit” concluded yesterday at Boston City Hall Plaza.

On display from Aug. 18-20, this powerful exhibit spotlighted the plight of hostages in Gaza, urging the community to unite and take a strong stand against terrorism. Developed in close coordination with hostages released in November by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, the exhibit aimed to raise awareness of the suffering of the 109 who still remain in captivity, including eight Americans.

Addressing attendees at the exhibit during opening remarks, B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin spoke about his own cousin, who was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz by Hamas, and condemned the ongoing attempts to erase what occurred on Oct. 7: “The hostages were quickly forgotten. The posters of these hostages were quickly torn down as soon as they were put up…These hostages have been held in unimaginable deplorable conditions.”

“The objective of Hamas is to destroy the State of Israel,” Mariaschin said. “And that glimpse that we had in the beginning on Oct. 7th, similar to what was seen every day for six years in the Holocaust, was indeed reminiscent of all the other attempts in history that have been made to erase our people and to erase the State of Israel.”

This international exhibit, previously displayed in Washington, D.C. and cities across Europe, features audio recording from body cameras worn by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7th. Visitors were given a glimpse of the roughly 300 miles of underground tunnels beneath Gaza and gained insight into the horrors of Hamas captivity. For a moment, they experienced the terror that hostages have endured over the past 10 months.

Family members of hostages were on-site throughout the three days to speak with visitors, including family members of current hostages Ohad Yahalomi and Hersh Goldberg-Polin, as well as the family of U.S.-Israeli citizen Itay Chen, who was killed by Hamas terrorists.

Boston City Council member Ed Flynn presented a resolution recognizing the significance of the exhibit in bringing attention to the hostages’ experiences.

The exhibit was attended by diplomats from Latvia, Germany, Japan, and Israel, as well as city and state officials, leaders from Boston’s Jewish and Catholic communities, and was organized by grassroots activists for Israel, Dr. Aylit Schultz and Douglas Hauer-Gilad.

“The choice to have the exhibit in the center of Boston, at City Hall and adjacent to the John F. Kennedy Federal Building, was deliberate,” Hauer-Gilad said. “It’s critical that we all speak out and work together across communities to increase the visibility of those who aren’t able to speak for themselves.”

Expressing his gratitude to the Boston Police Department for the smooth operation of the exhibit, Hauer-Gilad attributes much of its success to the “outstanding guidance, support, and leadership” provided by the police, as well as the dedicated team at Boston City Hall Plaza for managing the logistics, noting that “this is not simple in the center of Boston.”

Plans are underway for the exhibit to travel to cities across the country.