Mia Schem Taken Hostage on October 7
Mia Schem, an Israeli who was taken hostage during the barbaric Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023, has been invited to attend the State of the Union Address to be given by US President Joe Biden before a joint session of Congress next week. Mia Schem was released in a prisoner exchange at the end of November after almost two months in captivity.
Speaker of the US House of Representatives Mike Johnson invited Mia Schem, along with 17 Israelis whose family members are still held hostage in Gaza, to attend the State of the Union Address.
“I’m proud to stand with Mia and join her in demanding the release [of] all the hostages still held captive by Hamas. We must continue to fight to get them home,” said Speaker Mike Johnson.
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In addition, US Representative Greg Steube of Florida invited Ms. Gillian Kaye, of Sarasota, as his guest at the 2024 State of the Union. Ms. Kaye is the stepmother of Sagui Dekel-Chen, a dual American and Israeli citizen who was kidnapped by Hamas during the horrific October 7th attacks on innocent Israeli civilians. Sagui was seen fighting off the attackers while protecting his wife and young daughters.
“I am grateful to Rep. Steube for keeping the issue of our hostages and their continued captivity in Gaza in the national spotlight. March 7th will mark 5 months since the brutal massacre of nearly 1,500 Israelis and the abduction of hundreds more by Hamas terrorists to Gaza, including my stepson Sagui Dekel-Chen. We will only be whole again with the return of all hostages and appreciate so much the partnership with our congresspeople who have advocated tirelessly on our behalf,” said Ms. Kaye.
Mia Schem was taken back to Gaza as a hostage after she survived the merciless massacre of dozens of innocent people who attended the Nova Musical Festival on the day of the Hamas attack. Hamas then released a propaganda video showing Schem in captivity. The video purported to show how she received medical treatment for the gunshot wounds Schem suffered on October 7. However, it failed to acknowledge that she was forced to wait days for treatment.
After her release, Mia Schem gave an interview to Israeli television news. She spoke about how the terrorists would deny her food saying, “There were days when she wouldn’t let me eat,”
“You do what you’re told,” “You’re afraid to die.”
Mia Schem, 21, grew up and was educated in Shoham. She is the second daughter in a family of four children: Ilay, 23, Ori – a 12th grade student at Shoham High School, and Danny – a 5th grade student at Tzukim School. After graduating from Shoham High School, she completed her military service and began dreaming of a future as an artist and tattooist.
