John Kador

Exodus at Midnight: A Child’s Journey from Hungary to America

John Kador, a former resident of Kane County, fled Hungary on Christmas Eve 1956, crossing the border into Austria and eventually to the United States and freedom. He recounts his refugee story in a children’s book, Exodus at Midnight. The following is an excerpt from the book. The book is available for free as a Kindle Books download.

It was a lovely Christmas Eve with lots of gifts and sweets. John was dreaming happy dreams about the presents waiting for him under the Christmas tree. He never got those presents because around midnight when all good boys and girls are supposed to be asleep, his mother woke John and whispered, “Hurry. Get dressed. Here are some warm clothes. Stay quiet. We are taking a trip.”

John quietly got dressed. He sensed an adventure was coming. Everyone was in a hurry and this was no time for questions. But there was one question he had to ask.

“What about the snow sled I just got for Christmas? Can we bring the sled with us?” 

“I’m sorry, John, his dad said. “We have to leave now and we cannot take anything big with us.” When he heard this, John began to quietly cry. There was nothing normal about this evening, nothing at all, and he shivered in the cold. There was nothing fair about this. “I never even got a chance to try it out,” John cried. “Can’t we bring it with us, please, please, please?”

His mother looked at his father and said, “You know, maybe the sled will come in handy.” John’s face lit up. “Let’s take it!” And in the middle of the night, when all the neighbors were asleep, the Kador family slipped out of their apartment, walked on tip toe down the stairs to the street, heavy with snow.

The night air was so cold it stung when John took a breath. A taxi was waiting and the family silently filled the car. The next thing Janos saw, the taxi was at the city train station. The train was filling up with so many people. Quickly the train began to move.

The next thing John knew, the train was stopped, and people were stepping off the train into snow. The train had stopped in the middle of a snow-covered field. Everyone got off with their suitcases and bags and started walking through the snow.

For a while, the snow on the ground made it easy for John’s dad to pull little John and some of the suitcases. But after a while, the snow disappeared and they were walking on hard ground. It was impossible for his father pull the sled anymore.

“I’m sorry, John,” his father said, “but we will have to leave the sled here and continue on foot.” John cried just a little bit because he loved that sled so much. But he knew his dad was right. He started walking and looked over his shoulder at the beautiful sled he got for Christmas. And that sled might still be out there, somewhere between the borders of Hungary and Austria.

After many hours of walking, John and his family succeeded in crossing the border to Austria. They made their way to a refugee center in Vienna, and eventually received the documents to come to the United States.

Author’s Note: It’s one thing to be born into the values of America. It’s another to choose them. As a refugee from Hungary, my family chose the U.S. over the values of Communism. Specifically, my father and mother wanted their children to have choices, to be able to vote in meaningful elections, to benefit from the rule of law, and to worship as we pleased. Being free to choose is the greatest gift this country delivers to all that have the privilege of being welcomed as Americans.