At the height of the Hungarian Revolution in 1956, Julie Hamos was just 7 years old when she fled Hungary with her parents and younger brother. Seventy years later, to commemorate of the anniversary of their escape, she and her brother returned to Hungary with a friend who had fled at the same time, accompanied by historians who guided them on their journey.

“It became a much more emotional and meaningful trip than we ever envisioned,” Julie said upon her return home to Chicago.

Julie and her brother found the graves of seven of their great grandparents and great-great grandparents.  They also walked in the footsteps of their ancestors through tiny villages, where they saw the impact the Holocaust had on that part of Eastern Europe. 

When they visited the border where their family had departed to safety so many years before, they celebrated. 

“That was the celebratory day,” Juie said. “When we got to that border, we thanked our parents for the courage and the vision they had to get us there and to really be the reason that I’m a productive American citizen and have been for 70 years.”

Julie has had a long career as a policy advocate, public interest attorney and state agency director. As a member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 18th District from 1999 to 2010, she became familiar with JCFS Chicago’s HIAS Immigration & Citizenship program. 

“I knew about HIAS, I just didn’t know that I had a personal connection,” Julie said. 

It was only recently—in the past 5-7 years—that through genealogy research Julie and her brother discovered their family’s ties to HIAS.

“We found the manifest for the airplane ride we took from Vienna to New York,” Julie said. “It shows our four Hungarian names as among the passengers, and then it lists as our sponsor, HIAS.”

Since learning this information, Julie has become a strong supporter of HIAS. She has also reflected more deeply on her own journey as an immigrant.

“I came to America as a young girl and I learned English pretty quickly, I became active and got a good education, I had a good career,” she said. “I didn’t think of myself at that point as a refugee. And now I do.”

“And now I really connect to other refugees. So it’s a very different mindset that I’ve developed over time.”

In 2022, JCFS Chicago honored Julie with the What’s Possible Award at our annual fundraising event, recognizing her generosity to HIAS. She continues to give, helping immigrants through recent hardships.

“In the past couple years particularly, when refugee benefits such as eligibility for SNAP were cut, there were emergency campaigns and Julie has stepped up every time,” said Ilana Rosen, Director of Strategic Development & Foundation Relations. “It’s been incredible.”

Julie says it’s all about giving back, being grateful, and valuing HIAS’s work for so many years.

“Think about all the refugees over the years that have benefitted from this program,” she said. “It’s just really fantastic.”