Philadelphia museum remembers victims of Oct. 7 Hamas attack amid 1-year anniversary

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- In the year since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia has used exhibits to keep a focus on the victims, survivors, and hostages.

A display that opened on Monday is perhaps the most powerful of the exhibits.

The fifth-floor space of the museum has been transformed to resemble a scene from the Nova Music Festival, an event that Hamas terrorists targeted in their attack on October 7, 2023.

The attack claimed more than 1,200 Israeli lives. More than 250 people were taken hostage. Of those who died, more than 300 were killed at the music festival.

"(They were) coming to party and celebrate and dance and be all about peace and love and music, and what they experienced when the terrorists began," said Emily August, chief public engagement officer at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Old City.

The museum's new week-long pop-up exhibition is entitled "The Moment the Music Stood Still: The Nova Music Festival Exhibition."

It includes the personal belongings of festival-goers left behind as the terror attack unfolded. Tents in the exhibition are scattered with things like books, flip-flops, and pillows.

The exhibition also includes the portable bathroom stalls that Hamas terrorists shot into as people hid inside.

Outside the Weitzman, two burned-out cars sign on the sidewalk. The cars, destroyed in the attack, belonged to people who were at the festival.

"The pain of October 7 is felt by people in so many walks of life," said Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro (D) after he toured the exhibition with his wife, several political and faith leaders, and the mother of two young women killed in the attack.

"We received the most horrible news that any mother can receive," said Sigal Manzuri of the news that her daughters Roya and Norelle Manzuri were both killed while attending the festival.

She held a photo of the two young women as she spoke at the Weitzman Museum.

"It's not just a picture. There's a family behind this picture," she said. "There's a soul behind this picture."

"We all stand here recommitted to peace. Recommitted to a society where every person has a right to live up to their God-given potential," said Lt. Gov. Austin Davis (D - Pennsylvania).

The exhibition helps to share the story of the lives lost and the hope that lives on.

"We remember that darkness today, but it is also important to find light in the midst of darkness," said Shapiro.

The pop-up exhibition will be at The Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History through October 13.

Due to content that can be hard to watch, the exhibition is recommended for ages 16 and up.

Admission is free, but people are encouraged to reserve a free timed ticket at www.classy.org.