Closing the Fort Ontario Shelter: 80 Years Later

OSWEGO – Dr. Rebecca Erbelding returns to the Port City on Saturday, Jan. 17 for a 1:30 p.m. presentation in the Riverview Room at GS Steamer’s Bar and Grill, 70 E. First St., Oswego. The event is free and open to the public with free parking available. However, event seating is limited to the first 90 attendees.

The presentation marks the 80th anniversary of the first group of refugees’ departure from the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter for permanent re-settlement in the United States. Showcasing newly found historical film footage taken in Oswego in January 1946, Dr. Erbelding will describe the efforts that went into making re-settlement possible for this first group of displaced persons (DPs) to officially enter the country after the Holocaust and how their example inspired future DP immigration.

The event also represents Oswego’s early commemoration of International Holocaust Remembrance Day – a day marked on Jan. 27 around the world each year to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirm an unwavering commitment to counter antisemitism, racism and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence.

Dr. Erbelding is the author of “Rescue Board: The Untold Story of America’s Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe” and currently working on another book about Fort Ontario. After the event, she will sign copies of her first book, which will be available for purchase. Other books related to the shelter, museum membership and memorabilia will also be available at the event.

This event is sponsored by the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum in cooperation with Fort Ontario State Historic Site. The museum interprets the history and significance of the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter, which served as the only camp or shelter in the United States for Holocaust victims during World War II.