On a warm afternoon, the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem gleams in the afternoon sun, its white outer walls and overall appearance resembling a dove soaring over the city. In recent weeks, the museum has taken flight as an important center of culture in Jerusalem.
This has manifested itself both through its exhibits and public events, notably the powerful 6:29 – From Darkness to Light exhibit about the Hamas massacre at the Supernova music festival on Oct. 7 and the upcoming Remembrance Day Memorial Ceremony for Israel’s English-speaking community, which will be held on Tuesday, April 29, at 6:45 p.m. in the museum’s main auditorium.
Recently, this reporter spoke with media producer Malki Shem Tov, who produced the 6:29 exhibit, and Museum of Tolerance operations manager Jonathan Riss to discuss the significance of the exhibit and the Remembrance Day memorial, the museum’s place in holding these types of events, and the future direction of the museum.
While Shem Tov is widely known and respected in Israel as a media producer, he and his wife, Shelly, are better known to most Israelis as the parents of Omer Shem Tov, who was abducted by Hamas terrorists at the Supernova music festival and freed 505 days later, on February 22, as part of an exchange with Hamas. Malki reports that this year’s Passover observances have been particularly meaningful.
“Last year, our Seder observance was difficult and sad. This year, our Seder had special meaning for us since Omer was with us.”
Before the Oct. 7 attack, Malki had been slated to work on a project for the museum on the subject of tolerance. After his son’s abduction, museum officials asked him to change his focus and work on an exhibit about the terror attack. He consented and began working on the exhibit in December 2023.
The exhibit, named after the exact time when the Hamas attacks began – 6:29 a.m. – opened in May 2024, when their son was still captive in Gaza.
Shem Tov comments on the experience of working on the project while his son was still in the Gaza terror tunnels and says that it helped him cope. “Working with museums, visitor centers, and exhibits is part of my regular work, and in that sense, it was normal and natural. On the other hand, [working on the exhibit] helped the family deal with the stress, pain, and frustration. We were doing something, which helped a great deal.”
6:29 – From Darkness to Light utilizes sophisticated technology to bear witness to the horrific events of Oct. 7, telling the story powerfully and effectively. While the attacks were shown in great detail on mainstream media when they occurred, the exhibit, Shem Tov says, transforms visitors from passive viewers to an increased level of immersion in what transpired.
“The experience takes on much greater depth and significance than it did via television screens,” he notes.
MORE THAN 50,000 visitors have seen the 6:29 exhibit, including prominent social media personalities such as Nate Buzolic and Montana Tucker and leading politicians, including Senator Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) and others.
The immersive nature of the exhibit is accomplished largely through the video testimonies of 34 women who experienced the tragedy from their own unique perspectives, including survivors, tank commanders, pilots, relatives of those who were murdered, and many others. The videos are presented in a full-screen, life-size format, enhancing the testimony’s realism and feeling. In addition to Jewish women, the video testimony includes remarks from Christian and Muslim women.
The museum itself has two sections – two that present the darkness of the tragedy and two that emphasize the hope that remains for the Jewish people, epitomized by the sense of national unity that has been displayed during the war.
Adding to the immersive nature of the exhibit, visitors pass through concrete shelters between sections, similar to the migunit (portable bomb shelter) structures where victims of the music festival massacre hid from Hamas terrorists, view interactive maps of the destruction, and encounter a wide range of photos of what took place, with QR codes that present additional information.
The exhibit was designed by Mimi Lamm, with photographs by Ziv Koren and film direction by Noam Shalev and Kobi Sitt.
While the first two portions of the 6:29 exhibit focus on the dark and tragic nature of Oct. 7, the final two sections present the sense of national unity engendered since the beginning of the war. At the conclusion of the exhibit, visitors can write post-it notes that appear on the wall and send messages to the women whose testimony they viewed earlier.
Shem Tov explains that the dynamic nature of the exhibit allows for changes and modifications and says that it will be updated when all of the hostages are freed. “When all of the remaining hostages are freed, we will create another space that will strengthen the theme of resilience and return to our daily lives, focusing on the lessons learned by the Jewish people from the disaster that occurred on Oct. 7.”
He says that the museum has received a great deal of positive feedback from visitors who have gained a deeper understanding of the events of Oct. 7.
The Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem is the ideal platform for the 6:29 exhibit, Shem Tov says. “Oct. 7 symbolizes the dangers of disunity that we experienced as a people on Oct. 6. This exhibit expresses the thought that we must remain united and recognize the other side, even if we don’t agree with their ideas. This is the essence of tolerance.”
JONATHAN RISS, operations manager of the Museum of Tolerance, says that the 6:29 exhibit illustrates the concept of civil mutual responsibility that was expressed by Israeli citizens during the crisis of Oct. 7 and adds that this same sense of mutual responsibility and collective thanks is part of the upcoming Remembrance Day event, which is being hosted by the Museum of Tolerance and the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization.
“Many lone soldiers will be speaking at the event, and their families will be coming,” says Riss. “When you’re making aliyah alone, and families see and perceive the gratitude that we provide to their kids speaking on the stage, it is not only part of expressing thanks but is part of coexistence in Israel and mutual responsibility. It’s about the mission that we have of dialogue and challenges in the matrix of the Israeli society, especially now, when Israeli society is polarized.”
Among the keynote speakers at the event will be Larry A. Mizel, chairman of the museum; Rabbi Marvin Hier, the museum’s co-chairman and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and Yossi Cohen, the previous head of the Mossad.
The evening will also include emotionally charged elements. One will spotlight the courageous stories of lone soldiers – young men and women from around the world who chose to fight for Israel during the war, many without immediate family by their side. Another will feature three pregnant widows who found themselves alone, having to deal with the future of their families they had dreamed of building with their fallen husbands.
In addition, Dafna Russo, widow of Uri Russo, who was a member of the emergency response team at Kfar Aza, and Sigal Steiner-Mantzouri, who lost her two daughters at the Supernova music festival, will participate in panels discussing the tragedy of Oct. 7 and its aftermath.
A film about Yitav Lev Halevi, a border police officer who died in May 2024 after being critically wounded during an operation against the terror squad in Tulkarm, will also be screened.
“The museum’s core values,” explains Riss, “are about mutual responsibility, giving thanks, conducting dialogue, and handling polarization. It’s not only through lectures but also by manifesting the impact of living in that location on the individual and how they cope together in handling it. When you visit the 6:29: From Darkness to Light exhibit, the most important part of our mission is not only the memory but the light. The point is in seeing the light and how Israelis – Jews, Arabs, Christians, and Muslims – and Jews from around the world helped each other, coping and supporting each other through these atrocities.
“The events of Oct. 7 are a horrible story, but Oct. 7 is also a story of courage. There are many stories of mutual responsibility, and there is a great deal of hope. This exhibition gives you a lot of hope. There are great people in Israel, among the Jews and the entire population. You see what the Bedouin did, how the Muslims helped, and what the Christians did. It’s coming from a different point of view. We have a society, and we don’t only have rights. We also have duties. Mutual responsibility is the matrix of this understanding.”
Riss explains that the vision of the Museum of Tolerance is to create a common ground for dialogue to create change. It has set out to accomplish this goal with a variety of programs, including films, educational programs for civic discourse and leadership, and a permanent section of the museum under construction that will include the People’s Journey and the Social Lab – an immersive experience that will enable visitors to take a journey to tolerance, enhanced through the use of AI with a virtual meeting with Maimonides, digital debates, a virtual Sanhedrin, and much more.
Ultimately, the vision of the Museum of Tolerance is perhaps best expressed by the building’s monumental crisscrossed staircase, emphasizing that true tolerance and understanding come from engagement, listening to one another, and immersing ourselves in the perspective of others.
Stairs are not only a means of getting from one level to another but can be a bridge between people.
This article was written in cooperation with the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem.