In October 1954, a backpack was the only thing Michael Kardoush had to show for 18 years of life in his home country, Palestine, under occupation by Israel after it was established as a new state. On the cusp of adulthood, he faced an incredibly tough decision: flee his home and make the trek into a completely new country by foot, or remain under hardship and occupation. 

Unbeknownst to him then, making the difficult choice to leave would open a world of possibility for him and the chance to build an incredible life. 

Now, 70 years after fleeing his homeland, Kardoush resides in Texas with his beloved wife, Hoda, who too has a story of triumph. They were both recognized by the Center of Arab American Philanthropy (CAAP) at its annual gala in Houston on September 28. Both received the Outstanding Arab American Philanthropist of the Year Award. 

Kardoush shared his story in a video call with The Arab American News, setting the scene of when he fled Palestine in 1954. He left with a couple of his friends, all of whom were only carrying backpacks, hoping to pass as kids heading to school. 

He said their decision to leave ultimately came down to life or death. He said Palestinians were not equipped to fight back and fleeing felt like one of their only options for freedom and survival. 

Upon making it into Lebanon, Kardoush and his friends surrendered to the Lebanese authorities. Having no Lebanese passport or identification, a trial followed in order to determine their reason for fleeing into the country. While detained in what was described as a jail cell, Kardoush said he noticed the soldiers studying and struggling with their English. They were learning English at the American University of Beirut. Behind the bars of his cell, Kardoush, who understood English, noticed their struggle and offered to help. He helped the soldiers throughout his time there.

In his last trial, appearing before a judge, Kardoush recalled what the attorney who defended him and his friend said in court: “Those two young men are heroes” and then proceeded to defend them.

He said the judge said he had to act according to the law; something that didn’t possess “heart” or “passion.”

Kardoush and the others were sentenced to one month in prison and were required to pay a fine. The month-long sentence, he said, could have been much longer, even up to multiple years. 

After completing his time, Kardoush would then be driven back to the Lebanese-Israeli border and be forced to enter back, and he said that would be the end of their lives. 

After the completion of his detainment in Lebanon, one thing lead to another and he obtained a permit to go to Jordan through Syria. With the help of some relatives in Jordan, he was able to get a Jordanian passport. He briefly stayed in Syria before moving to Egypt where he attended university. There, he studied engineering. While completing his degree, he participated in a summer program that took him to Germany every summer to work and learn. 

Throughout his various trips to Germany, Kardoush leaned German and became engrossed in the culture, getting a taste of German lifestyle. Upon graduation, he returned to Germany to work in the second largest engineering construction company in the country. 

“My knowledge of English, Arabic and German contributed to my credentials,” he said. “I did very well, bought a secondhand car, could afford to rent an apartment, put very nice furniture in it, had lots of friends. I participated in the social life very affectively.”

He also said he learned the European culture “more deeply” —referring to their way of life, their classical music, poetry and their language —and shared that he wrote quite a bit about his time there. 

He even gave a lecture in Germany during his stay regarding how the foreigners are treated there. He said that the high-achievers and successful natives welcomed them, but the “under-achievers and jealous” people rejected them due to jealousy. 

“We are immigrants no matter where we go,” he said. 

When he was 30, Kardoush decided he was ready to start a family. He went back to Egypt with the hopes to do so. As his wife sat next to him in the video call, he told The Arab American News he got “extremely lucky.”

Hoda Kardoush, who was living in Egypt when her path crossed with her future husband’s, is of Syrian descent. Both of her grandparents are Syrian and she said her family was among the “Syrians in Egypt.” She was in her first semester of college at the American University in Cairo when she first met Michael. 

She emphasized her unrelenting desire to earn an education.

“I had big dreams I was going to finish college,” she said.

“My life, up to when I met this adventurous person, was very dull; it was school, home, church, very, very sheltered life,” she added, the glimmer of love emitting from her as she gushed about her husband of 57 years. 

She explained that the branch of Kardoushs of Egypt knew her grandparents and parents well and she attended school with her husband’s cousin, so their paths were destined to cross at one point or another. 

On Christmas Eve in 1966, their families gathered together. The cousin played a role in Kardoush meeting his future wife. He was home from Germany, and his cousin felt inclined to bring him to the Christmas gathering. 

“He walks in dressed in a navy blue blazer, and I adored navy blue blazers,” Hoda Kardoush said. “He just walked in like he was here for the part.”

They fell into step with each other quickly and became inseparable. They got engaged two weeks after meeting on January 7 and got married on March 25, 1967.

From Egypt, they migrated to Canada via ship and Kardoush began working in Montreal. There, Hoda Kardoush attended a secretarial school and then worked at the Bank of Montreal in the Foreign Exchange Department. In 1969, they moved to California after a Los Angeles engineering firm recruited Michael. 

They had their two sons in Huntington Beach, CA before uprooting again and moving to Houston in 1974 for Michael’s job. Hoda said their plan was to go back to California after Michael completed his contract, but they ended up laying down roots in Houston and have become instrumental parts of the community. 

“Our roots are too deep,” she said about Houston. 

Hoda and Michael Kardoush have become pillars of the Houston community with remarkable benefactions, including the establishment the Paul Kardoush Memorial Endowed Lecture Series at the Arab-American Educational Foundation Center for Arab Studies at the University of Houston. This endowment program is in honor of their son Paul, who devastatingly passed from cancer. Paul Kardoush, who aspired to become a doctor of medicine, is now honored in this series at the University of Houston that brings world-renowned figures in the academic, cultural and literary realms among the Arab world to the university. 

Hoda has been a pivotal force in the Arab American Cultural and Community Center in Houston, playing a large role in its fundraising effort to initiate the seed money. 

Among the organizations the Kardoushs have supported include the National Arab Orchestra, the Leonard Education organization, where they have been able to support Palestinian students’ academic paths, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to save lives.  

Michael Kardoush has also written a book titled Enduring Journey: Surviving to Prevail— An Immigrant’s Story.

Hoda emphasized her own dream of completing her education, an aspiration she held throughout her life.

“In the back of my mind, I always wanted to finish my education,” she said. “I only had high school, but I was able to keep a job.” 

At 52-years-old, she went back to school at the Houston Baptist University, now known as Houston Christian University.

“When I spoke to my counselor, Dr. Owen, the first thing I said was, ‘when I turn 60, I want to be walking with my master’s degree’ and I didn’t even have a BA yet at the time.” 

She majored in psychology and sociology as an undergrad and finished within two years, completing an accelerated program. Fast forward some years and two weeks before turning 60, she achieved her master’s degree. 

“They’re hanging in the office, and every morning, I go and I say ‘you did it,'” she said with pride about her degrees.  “Your education is for you and you only, you don’t have to share with anybody.” 

Education, she said, drives the couple’s philanthropic work, hoping to inspire and help young people achieve their own. 

“Both of our philosophies, Hamdillah, we worked hard and we had breaks in life,” she said. “And we’re in a good place now where we truly believe God is good to us, using us a vehicle to give, to help, and it makes you feel good.” 

“Most, if not all of what we provide is for education,” Kardoush said. “All of our giving goes to education, young people who want to be educated, who have the potential, who don’t have the means.”

They said their motto of giving stems from a deep love to make others feel good. 

“The only thing as inspiring as Michael and Hoda Kardoush’s story of resilience is their remarkable, unconditional philanthropy, which has touched countless lives,” said Maha Freij, founder of the CAAP/president and CEO of ACCESS. “They truly embody CAAP’s belief that philanthropy is a powerful tool to impact the causes closest to our hearts. We can all lead in their exceptional example.”

The 18-year-old Michael Kardoush with only a backpack to his name has made his mark, leading a life of hard work, passion and purpose. As trailblazing immigrants, Michael and Hoda Kardoush‘s story leave a lasting impact and an insurmountable amount of inspiration and pride in the hearts of Arab Americans and immigrants everywhere.