PRESS RELEASE – The Safe Haven Museum and Education Center is pleased to announce that the Jewish Motorcyclist Alliance (JMA) will participate in the 70th reunion of the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee Shelter which is taking place from Thursday, June 19th through Sunday, June 22nd.
The Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance consists of 44 clubs worldwide and has over 8,000 members. Each year a site is chosen for the annual “Ride to Remember” to memorialize the victims of the Holocaust and to raise money for organizations that support and promote Holocaust education and awareness.
This museum is not only unique to the city, but unique to the nation.
Safe Haven Museum tells the stories of 982 refugees who were allowed into the country as “guests” of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to escape the Holocaust. The refugees were housed at the Fort Ontario Emergency Shelter in Oswego, NY, from 1944-1946. Safe Haven tells a very unique story as this shelter was the only one of its kind in the United States,” said Judy Coe-Rapaport, president of the museum’s board of directors.
This will be the 10th annual “Ride to Remember” event for the JMA. “We want the story told and how nice to celebrate 70 years with survivors and their families who were lucky enough to come to Oswego,” said Betsy Ahrens, president of the Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance.
The “Ride to Remember” will take place Friday, June 20th, beginning at Bayshore Grove and will conclude with a presentation at the Safe Haven Museum. Additional events are planned throughout the weekend.