OSWEGO COUNTY – Fort Ontario State Historic Site hosted a ceremony on April 18 for Yom HaShoa, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day. The ceremony served to honor victims and survivors of the Holocaust and commemorate the refugees who came to the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter during World War II.
Yom HaShoa is observed annually on the 27th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan. As part of the ceremony, six candles were lit in remembrance of the victims. Names of refugees who passed away at the shelter were read aloud, and stories of the Fort Ontario refugees and others were shared. The day also serves to reflect on the horrors of the Holocaust to prevent an event of its caliber from happening again.
Numerous speakers attended the ceremony to discuss the importance of never forgetting the Holocaust and remembering its more than 6 million victims. Speakers included Rabbi Yossi Madvig, Oswego Mayor Billy Barlow, Fort Ontario staff and many others. Charles Boivin, a student at SUNY Oswego, led the charge to organize the day of remembrance.
Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter was the only camp for Holocaust refugees established in the United States during World War II. Establishing the camp was meant to convince America’s allies that it was serious about providing rescue and relief to Europe’s Jews. Between 1944 and 1946, nearly 1,000 refugees came to the Fort Ontario as guests of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Through Fort Ontario, everyday Americans first heard stories of persecution, death, flight and survival at the hands of the Nazis from its victims.
The Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum, which is dedicated to telling the story of the shelter and the refugees who resided there, is located at the east end of Barbara Donahue Drive in the old army guardhouse. For details, visit https://www.safehavenmuseum.com.
Fort Ontario State Historic Site is located at the north end of East Fourth Street in the city of Oswego. For more information about the site or Holocaust Remembrance Day activities, contact Historic Site Manager Paul Lear at 315-343-4711 or visit https://historicfortontario.com.
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