Fort Ontario is one step closer to joining the National Park System — preserving the site’s unique legacy as a shelter for Holocaust refugees during World War II.
A unanimous vote in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday pushed through a bipartisan bill which clears one more hurdle for Oswego’s Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum.
Dating back to the 1840s, Fort Ontario has been a state historic site. You’ll find guardhouses, a powder magazine, barracks and other buildings at the star-shaped fort. Refugees were housed at the site from 1944 to 1946.
“Safe Haven and Fort Ontario stand proudly as a beacon of hope for hundreds of Jewish and European refugees forced to flee their homes to escape the horrors of the Holocaust and World War II. With Hanukkah upon us, it is fitting to celebrate the Senate passage of this bill officially designating Safe Haven as a National Historical Park,” U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. “Fort Ontario tells the powerful history of Central New York and Oswego County dating back to the earliest days of our nation, and I’ve been advocating for this designation in Congress for years. I urge the House to pass this legislation as soon as possible to give Americans from across the country the opportunity to learn about Safe Haven and the role it played in shaping Central New York.”
The national designation is part of a nearly decade-long effort by lawmakers of both political parties.
The Holocaust Refugee Shelter at Fort Ontario was a place of safety and hope during one of the darkest moments in history, and it deserves recognition in the National Park System. I was proud to work across the aisle to get this legislation passed in the Senate, and I urge the House to pass it as swiftly as possible,” U.S. Sen. Kristen Gillibrand said in a statement.
The bill now awaits action in the House of Representatives.