HIT: Jews held in US/WWII

[Amanda Byrd <abyrd@CAROL.NET>]

        Thanks to everyone who responded in any way concerning Jews who were
held in the U.S. during World War II.  I had the request listed as
"American" Jews being held, but that does not seem to be the case, I'm glad
to say.  It had been over a year since I had read Briar Rose, so I was hazy
on the facts.
        Briar Rose (Jane Yolen) is an unbelievable combination of the
retelling of Sleeping Beauty and an unforgettable story of the Holocaust.
Oswego is first mentioned on page 51, I think.  This is an excellent book to
use with U.S. History classes because the fiction cana be compared with
facts.  I might also mention that this was one of South Carolina's Young
Adult Book Award nominees for 1995-1996.  It received an impressive number
of votes, but was not the winner for the year.
        So far this is the information I have received, in an edited form.

1.      I did a paper on Oswego a few years ago.  The folks in the camp were
brought to the U.S. for safety, with the understanding that they would
return to their homeland after the war.  Many wanted to stay in the U.S. and
were held in the camp until long after the war was over while Congress
decided whether or not to let them stay.  Doris Renfro   sran_dr@access.ohio.gov

2.      The camp was not really a prison.  It was a so-called free port for
refugees of the holocaust.  Roosevelt let only a token 1,000 victims in to
this country through the port and they were housed behind barbed wire in
Oswego, N.Y.  They were to be returned after the war, but they were not.  It
was not one of our better moments.  They held not only Jews and they were
not the people being shipped to the death camps.  Read Ruth Gruber's Haven
Lowenstein's Token Refugee to find out the rest of the story.  Babs Pitt
Richard   bpitt@umd5.umd.edu

3.      I have a friend who was held at Oswego with her mother and sister.
There is a book written about the Oswego experience.  I can't remember the
author or the title, but you might be able to find it somewhere under the
subject.  If I get in touch with her, I will try to find the title for you.
Sunnie Tait  sft@alumni.silm.umich.edu

4.      This did in fact happen.  [Amanda] mentioned one such camp in Fort
Oswego, but this is not quite correct.  I grew up in Oswego, NY where Fort
Ontario is located, and this is the site that she referred to.  I remember
my mother talking about this, that the local people knew nothing about who
was there until afater the war--people thought perhaps they were prisoners
of war.  I now live in Rochester, and a couple of years ago the Rochester
PBS station, WXXI, broadcast a program about this entitled "Safe Haven".  It
gave information about the program going on in Oswego during the war, hoping
to provide a safe haven for Jews.  Elaine Woods   ewoods@CYBER1.SERVTECH.COM

5.      Safe Haven by Ruth Bruber (or Graber) is an account of women who
traveled with Jewish concentration camp internees from Italy to Oswego, NY.
There is a Holocaust exhibit here in the NY State Museum that has aratifacts
from the site.  Veronica Pastecki   pasteckv@crisny.org

6.      It was my understanding it was a camp for Japanese internment during
WWII.  NPR, I believe it was the local affiliate in Oswego, NY, created an
award winning program on the camp, abouat 5 years ago.  Trying to get ahold
of the local station and then NPR itself may lead you to a copy of the
program.  I heard the program when I was still living in Potsday NY from my
Canton NY affiliate WSLU, I don't think the Canton NY station originated the
program but they may have since I remember later hearing of the award.
Sorry I can't be of more help.  I went to college in Oswego and never knew
of this connection until the NPR program.  Kathy Fencil  tkfencil@mv.mv.com

7.      I did not know about this camp either until a recent visit to the NY
State Museum in Albany.  There is an interesting exhibit there on this camp.
I don't have the URL off the top of my head, but maybe you could access the
Museum through NY State government sites.  Pat Dalpiaz   hornet@spectra.net

8.      The Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, a Macmillan publication, gives a
small amount of information about the refugees who were detained at Fort
Ontario in Oswego, NY.  This camp was established to provide a haven for
imperiled refugees from Europe who would be held without legal status until
the war's end, at which time they would be returned to their countries of
origin.
Marsha Brown   mwbrown@sacam.oren.ortn.edu

9.      You might check with a local Holocaust Museum, or even the National
one in Washington, DC.  They recently opened one in Houston so there might
be one close to you (Atlanta maybe?).  Also, there may be a group of
Holocaust survivors in your area that could provide guidance.  Check with a
local synagogue or B'nai B'rith group.  Melissa Davis   mbdavis@tenet.edu

10.     Ms. Yolen is a subscriber and contributer to CHIILDLIT.  I would get
on that listserv and ask her myself!

11.     Farewell to Manzanar (available in PB) is a biggie here in
California.  I didn't know about it either until about 9 years ago!  Also,
the books by Uchida  (sp?) are about a giral and her family who are sent to
a camp.  One is called Journey Home, but I think it's when they head back,
other is Jar of Dreams.  Linda Elliott  lelliott@wombat.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us

12.     I believe the Jews in Oswego were part of the only effort by the US
to rescue European Jewry.  I remember seeing an excellent documentary on PBS
entitled "Who Shall Live and Who Shall Die."  G Goldberg   Gidong@aol.com

13.     I live near athe city of Oswego in NY state.  Fort Ontario was a
holding place for some Jewish people--but I believe they were to be
immigrants and were being held for safety reasons and because of the wartime
economic conditions.  I have no documentation, but they have a museum of
sorts there with very touching stories included.  The phone number is
315-343-4711, but I would bet it is not staffed this time of year.  The
address in the phone book is listed as Fort Ontario, NY.  I would send a
letter of inquiry to Fort Ontario, NY State Historic Site, Oswego, NY 13126.
Also listed is the Oswego County Historical Society, 135 E. 3rd St., Oswego,
NY 13126.  The phone number there is 315-343-1342.  It is strange that I
have not thought of this place in a long time and just the other night in
the Multicultural class I am taking, someone mentioned this very same Fort
Ontario and then I saw the message within a few days.  Now I'll have to read
Briar Rose!
Leona M. Chereshnoski   chereshn@aldus.northnet.org

14.     I'm preparing for my Holocaust booktalks tomorrow and going through
my piles and piles of collecting since my last presentation on this.  Just
came across a newspaper artaicle on this safe haven for Jews sent to me by a
friend in NY dated August 28, 1994, from the Syracuse Herald American, pp.
BB1, BB2.

15.     I checked the video on "Safe Haven" and came up with a few sources.
        Token Refuse: The Story of the Jewish Refugee Shelter at Oswego
1944-1946.  This is a doctoral thesis by Sharon Lowenstein of KU.  Published
by the Indiana U Press, c1986, ISBN: 0-253-36023-4.  A LMS named Valerie
Cascanet in Watertown, NY, who owns this book has info if you want to
contact her at cascanet@aldus.northnet.org.
        Haven: The Unknown Story of 1,000 World War II Refugees, by Ruth Gruber.
        I also got a response from John York, a LMS in Montana, who referred
to An Alien Place: The Fort Missoula, Montana, Dentention Camp 1941-1944 by
Carol Van Valkenburg, Pictorial History Pub. Co, Inc., 713 South Third
Street West, Missoula, Montana 50801, $10.95.  What's interesting about John
York's response is that the video states that the camp in Oswego was the
only one of its kind.  Even that camp was a token by Roosevelt to brush off
criticism for not allowing Jewish refugees into the U.S.  But according to
John, there was also one in Missoula.  His e-mail address is fhslmc@digisys.net
Elaine Woods   ewoods@cyber1servtech.com

16.     There is a wonderful display on Oswego at the NY State Museum in
Albany.  I graduated from SUNY Oswego and I know that Penfield Library
houses some archival material.  Regina Waite-Platt   waitepla@ALDUS>NORTHNET.ORG

17.     You may wish to contact someone through the US National Holocaust
Memorial Museum website.  Andy Carvin  acarvin@KUDZU.CNIDR.ORG

18.     I didn't know this either.  You might try the holocaust museum in
Washington DC, the Weisenthal Center in Los Angeles or the B'nai B'rith
Antidefimation League for additional info.  I would also recomment a phone
call.  Rochelle Braustein   rbraus@cello.gina.calstate.edu


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    Amanda L. Byrd, LMS                  Phone:  803-260-5155
    T.L. Hanna High School LMC           Fax:    803-260-5213
    Anderson, SC  29621                  E-mail: abyrd@carol.net

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