B’nai B’rith International CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin and Rebecca Saltzman, a member of the B’nai B’rith International board of directors, spoke with the Intermountain Jewish News about their chilling experiences going through the immersive “Inside Hamas Tunnels” installation on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. “Inside Hamas Tunnels: 3 Minutes Insight into Hostages’ Reality” is a project developed by a dedicated group of volunteers and B’nai B’rith, in conjunction with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.

Read more in the Intermountain Jewish News.

Centennial’s Rebecca Saltzman got a glimpse of a Hamas tunnel. As you might assume, it was quite the visceral and eerie experience.

“It was dark and scary,” said Saltzman. “You kind of have to wait for your eyes to adjust. You’re not really sure what to expect because you’re waiting to see what you can make out.

“You walk in. There’s a wall with graffiti. There’s a toilet with a very dim light hanging. Then you walk around and you see part of a cage with a mattress on the floor and a stuffed animal. It’s dirty and there’s very dim light. Then suddenly you hear the sounds — yelling in Arabic.

“Then there are gunshots and screaming. It’s kind of like a surround sound, as all of your other senses are deprived.”

Saltzman wasn’t actually inside a Hamas tunnel in Gaza, but in a simulated tunnel created through actual Hamas video, in an installation in Washington, D.C. 

The installation is inside a shipping container on the National Mall, developed by B’nai B’rith in conjunction with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. 

The design of the tunnel was done in Tel Aviv. 

Members of families who were released from Hamas captivity in November, 2023 shared their experiences during the design phase.

Saltzman’s immersion into the tunnel lasted three minutes. She knew ahead of time, of course, that her journey would eventually lead to an exit door to the Mall, yet the experience was still chilling.

“It was definitely anxiety inducing,” said Saltzman, “and then all I could think about was, you’re experiencing what somebody might experience because you don’t know what to expect. ‘How long is this noise going to go on for?’ It immerses you into the confusion and terror. 

“All I could think about, there was no exit for the people who are truly experiencing that, and about just how anxiety-inducing and scary and confusing that was for me, knowing it’s an exhibit. What would that even sound and feel like, knowing that you are trapped, with no way out, not knowing if you’re safe?

“That was just three minutes. I can’t imagine 404 days.”

Saltzman’s sensory experience is exactly what the project managers envisioned.

“Definitely,” said Doug Hauer, an attorney from Boston who was co-project manager of the installation.

“The reality element of the simulation is amplified by the sound,” Hauer said.

“When you are going through the exhibit, you hear jarring shots. You hear screams, and these are actual sounds from body cameras that the Israeli Defense Forces recovered off of fighters in Gaza. 

“The container is only eight feet by 20 feet, so that’s not a very sizable exhibit, but the sound creates a definite sense that you’ve entered into another zone, another reality.

“Being in a dark and closed space where the circulation in the air is far from perfect, also contributes to giving visitors an idea of what a few seconds in a Hamas tunnel might look like.”

The installation debuted in Geneva before the U.N. in February. Since then, the tunnel has traveled throughout Europe. 

A twin installation was exhibited at Boston City Hall Plaza before the appearance in Washington, D.C. There is hope there will be other stops in the U.S.

“The real hope is that tomorrow we’re going to learn that all the hostages are being released,” B’nai B’rith CEO Dan Mariaschin told the IJN. “That’s our fervent hope, that we don’t need to continue to have these moving reminders. 

“Even after the release of the hostages, I would recommend that this continue to travel because it is a lasting reminder and it tells you pretty much many of the things that you need to know about Hamas, the brutality, the disregard for human life, and the horrific crimes committed against women.” 

For Rebecca Saltzman, a member of the B’nai B’rith board of directors and former senior B’nai B’rith International vice president, the more people who experience this exhibit, the better.

“I hope this does travel,” Saltzman said. “We need to continue to bring awareness. A lot of people are very blinded by what’s really happening with everybody trying to bury the truth.”