Saratoga Jewish Cultural Festival presents Where The Holocaust Came To America, a special presentation by historian Paul Lear, on Sunday, July 26 at 11 am at Congregation Beth Shalom in Clifton Park.

This program is cosponsored by Congregation Beth Shalom and Temple Sinai of Saratoga Springs, with the help of a generous grant from the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York.

A Little Known Story
The Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter was the only U.S. camp for Holocaust refugees. Lear will describe the camp’s history, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ’s role in its creation, and efforts to preserve the site as a National Historical Park.

The Safe Haven Museum and Education Center in Oswego, NY tells the story of the 982 mainly Jewish refugees who fled Europe in the U.S. Government’s “Safe Haven" program. They came to the refugee shelter in August 1944.

“Safe Haven” was the only official U.S. Government activity to rescue Jewish refugees from the Nazi Holocaust during the war. The refugees were brought from Italy but originated from many parts of Europe.

They were placed in Fort Ontario behind barbed wire and were guarded by armed American soldiers. The U.S. granted them no official status. They were told they would be returned to their homelands after the war and would have no rights regarding reentry into the United States.

It was crystal clear to those inside and outside government that the United States had no formal policy for the immigration of the Jewish refugees from Europe. “The local community of Oswego was openly hostile to those in the camp, and integration with the Coordinator of SJCF.

However, under political pressure, at the war's end the refugees were allowed to remain in the United States. Much of the detailed history of this story was written by journalist Ruth Gruber, who spent her career fighting injustice through her journalism.

There will be a small reception prior to the program. A donation is requested of $10.

How to Register
Pre-registration is required. Click the  link below or enter the URL in your browser:
https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sl/f5IJqVb/HolocaustCameToAmerica

About the Speaker
Paul Lear is a historian and historical archaeologist who worked for New York State Parks for nearly 40 years, including 25 years as Historic Site Manager of Fort Ontario State Historic Site.

Lear speaks and writes about the history of the fort and the emergency refugee shelter, which served as the only camp for Jewish Holocaust victims in the United States during WWII.

He is a founding member and current President of the Board of the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum. The museum is located in the fort’s guardhouse. It houses exhibits and artifacts interpreting the shelter’s unique history and the stories of nearly 1,000 refugees from 18 European countries brought to Oswego as guests of President Roosevelt.

Lear holds a B.A. in Anthropology from SUNY Albany and an M.S. in Public Archaeology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He is a member of the Shenendehowa Bicentennial class of 1976.