Sanctuary at Fort Ontario: The Story of America’s Only World War II Emergency Refugee Shelter

On the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, discover the extraordinary history of Fort Ontario, the only shelter in the United States established by the federal government to protect Holocaust refugees during World War II.

This compelling program features Paul Lear, retired Site Manager of Fort Ontario, and Ann Allen, author of Holocaust Refugees in Oswego: From Nazi Europe to Lake Ontario. Together, they will shed light on the lives of the 982 mostly-Jewish refugees who found temporary sanctuary behind the barbed wire of Fort Ontario in Oswego, New York. Moderated by Aaron Noble, Senior Historian and Curator of Political and Military History at the New York State Museum, this lecture will delve into the impact this remarkable refuge had on both its residents and the local community.