MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) -- It was eight months ago that Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israel, murdering around 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages, many of who are still being held.

As the Israel-Hamas war continues to rage, Israeli organizers have produced an exhibit in Manhattan that basically recreates the scene of the music festival that was attacked. It's been open to the public in New York since April and is now being extended.

To a visitor, a tour of the exhibition located in a 50,000-square-foot space at 35 Wall St. is chilling, sobering and heartbreaking. The Nova exhibit rekindles the horror of the Hamas massacre last Oct. 7, a day embedded in modern-day history.

The exhibit begins with a video showing scenes of happiness and fun at the Nova Music Festival, until the moment the music stood still as Hamas attackers staged a surprising massacre killing 360 people at the festival and taking 44 others hostage.

Walking through the Nova exhibit is a testament to the horror of that day that left more than 1,200 dead and 240 taken hostage. Objects on display bear the scars of a massacre: burnt-out cars, portable toilets peppered with bullet holes, tents and lounge chairs abandoned at the festival site as people ran for their lives.

All items in the exhibit are authentic from the festival. Tal Shimony, 25, was part of the team working the festival that day, and she remembers the moment of the attack.

"One minute missiles were over my head and I got a panic attack," Shimony said. 

Caught in the panic of the moment, she found her boyfriend who got her in his car and they sped away from the horror around them. They managed to escape and survive.

"If we took a right turn instead of a left, we would have met the terrorists, so we were lucky we made right turn," Shimony said.

It's emotional for Shimony to walk through the exhibit and to look at personal items left behind. Hats, shirts, prayer books, and cellphones are frozen in time.

"There's so much joy in this room," Shimony said. "Seeing these personal things thrown here is just so painful, seeing all these things here filled with dust."

Shimony approached a table with personal items placed on top of it. "I hate this table," she declared.

It's a table of shoes where life once stood that now serve as reminders of lives cut short.

"Shoes like this are a bad reminder of Holocaust museums, and it's very chilling for me seeing this," Shimony said.

Shimony walked into one room with more than 400 photos of people who were murdered on Oct. 7.

"This room is the most painful thing in the exhibition," Shimony said. "How many great people are not with us anymore."

She looked up to one photo, touched and exclaimed, "Good morning Z."

Fifteen of Shimony's friends are among those murdered that fateful day.

"Every morning I come to this wall to say good morning to every one of my friends. They deserve this exhibition. This exhibition is made for them," Shimony said with a heavy heart.

Tapestry from the Nova festival decorates the cavernous room, and memorial candles fill the void along with a wall of messages left by visitors. 

"This one hits me the most," Shimony declared. "We will dance again, sing again, play again, love again."

Because of the overwhelming response by the public, the exhibit has been extended an extra week to run through June 22.

Organizers said proceeds from the exhibit will go to victims, survivors and their families to help with mental health issues. The cost of admission is all based on donations.

You can find more information about the Nova exhibit on its website.