10th Congressional District candidate Jim Carris delivered a heartfelt and impassioned plea for U.S. action in response to the recent escalation of violence in Israel.
Carris recounted his own harrowing experience as a child hostage to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and called on the Biden Administration and Congress to intensify efforts to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas. Carris noted the experience in a campaign ad in which he appeared alongside his father.
“We were hijacked between Rome and Athens,” Carris said. “And you said ‘no, keep your shoes on. We’re going to be running through the desert.’ I remember landing and running through the desert. There was shooting behind us, and the plane exploded.” The vivid recollection underscores the gravity of the situation Carris and his family faced.
Carris’ father reflected on the ordeal from a parental perspective.
“I wasn’t afraid for myself,” he said. “I was worried too much for my family.”
For Carris, the experience of the hijacking left an indelible mark.
“I remember Mom too,” he said. “You know, how scared she was on October 7th. Those feelings came flooding back. Even though we were captive for a short period of time, I can’t imagine what the current hostages have experienced since.”
Carris’s comments came only a day after six Israeli hostages were killed by Hamas.
Hamas released disturbing footage of six hostages, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, identifying themselves in a black-and-white clip, appearing gaunt and in distress. The Israel Defense Ministry confirmed that the hostages were murdered shortly before Israeli forces could rescue them, prompting condemnation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Carris’ father added a sobering note on the enduring nature of such conflicts.
“After all these years, nothing changed there,” he said.
Carris, now seeking to represent the 10th Congressional District, framed his personal history as a motivator for his political platform.
“Well, that’s what I’m going to fight for,” he said. “It’s critical that we have the American government and the United States of America taking the lead in bringing peace to the region.”
In a statement accompanying the video, Carris recalled the events of Oct. 7, 2023, when the news of a brutal attack on Israeli civilians and the subsequent hostage crisis first broke.
"Like many, I was shocked, appalled, and disgusted at what I saw," he said. "The images of the brutal murders of innocent civilians were heartbreaking. Then the news came of the 240 innocent civilians – babies, children, women, elderly, and disabled – who were rounded up and taken hostage by Hamas. The hostage news and images struck me deeply and brought back flashbacks from my own childhood."
Carris said the terrorists had mistaken his family's flight for one carrying a high-ranking Israeli official.
"In 1969, when I was a child, my family and I were taken hostage by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine while on flight TWA 840 from Rome to Athens," he said. "The hijackers had mistakenly believed that the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Yitzhak Rabin, was on board. As fear swept through the plane, I looked to my parents for reassurance, only to see a fear in their eyes I had never seen before."
Carris described the fear and chaos that ensued after the plane was surrounded by Israeli fighter jets and ultimately forced to land in a deserted airstrip outside Damascus.
"We were told to take off our shoes to avoid damaging the emergency slides and prepare for a crash landing," Carris recounted. "After landing, we slid down the emergency chutes and ran across the desert, with gunfire and explosions around us."
Carris described the terror of being separated from his family and witnessing the brutal treatment of other hostages.
“We were held in a makeshift camp, surrounded by guerrillas with automatic rifles," he said. "I remember sitting on the rocky ground, peeking under a hut to see men being interrogated. The fear of not knowing whether my family and I would survive was overwhelming."
Reflecting on his experience, Carris emphasized that the current situation in Israel, with hostages held by Hamas, is far more severe.
"I know what it's like to be held against your will, to be at gunpoint, to see fear in your loved ones' eyes," he said. "But I tell you this: my experience pales in comparison to the horrific, brutal, inhumane treatment those innocent Jews have experienced since October 7th."
Carris called for immediate action from the U.S. government, stressing the urgency of the situation.
"It's time for the Biden Administration and our leaders in Congress to step up and work to free these hostages from Hamas terrorist hands," he urged. "Every day that one of these innocent civilian hostages spends in captivity is another day that they live in fear of never seeing their families again."
At the Democratic National Convention, pro-Palestinian activists gathered in large numbers. In one video of the protests, a man was attacked by Antifa members after trying to take back an American flag they had burned in protest of the Israeli-Palestine conflict.
Carris criticized the current political climate, urging leaders to set aside partisan differences and focus on supporting Israel.
"Every day that America’s leaders fail to act to support Israel and the return of the hostages is another day that we have turned our back on our most important ally in the Middle East," Carris said. "We must act now to prevent further loss of innocent lives."
Carris’s statement underscores the growing calls for decisive action in the face of the ongoing crisis and highlights the personal connections many leaders feel with global events.
As the situation continues to unfold, Carris’s call for unity and action resonates strongly with those seeking a swift resolution to the hostage crisis.
Carris, an accomplished attorney, entrepreneur and corporate leader, serves as Managing Principal, Executive Managing Director and Market Leader at Colliers International.
The 10th District is currently held by U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL). It takes in communities in North Cook, Lake and McHenry counties.
Alerts Sign-up