Q.: In a few words, please describe your new book, ‘Holocaust Refugees in Oswego’?
During the height of the second World War, at the order of President Roosevelt, Fort Ontario in Oswego housed 982 refugees, rescued from the horrors of the Holocaust. Oswego answered the call of service and opened its arms to the survivors. Much has been written, and rightly so, about those Holocaust refugees. But while they were in Oswego they were able to transition from horror to opportunity with the support of many Oswego people. My book is about the ways the two groups came together for the mutual benefit of all.
Q.: What made you write it?
I grew up a couple of blocks from the fort but I never knew the story of this singular event in our history until a few years ago. It was never taught in schools, though I certainly think it should be, because the refugee issue and the rise in anti-semitism the country struggled with then are still issues we are grappling with today. I wondered, why did this sudden arrival of refugees work in Oswego when there is such division in communities struggling with an influx of refugees today? Were there lessons from Oswego’s experience that could be instructive today? So I became very interested in exploring the Oswego side of the story.
Q.: How long did it take to write it?
I received the contract from the publisher in February 2023 and delivered the manuscript at the end of September, so about eight months. Remember though, I’m retired, so I had the time to devote to it.
Q.: Tell us one or two things that surprised you the most in the process of writing the book?
A happy surprise was finding six people locally, all well into their 90s now, who experienced that time in Oswego’s history and who could provide first-person testimony about their personal encounters and friendships with the fort refugees. They were invaluable resources for me to understand the mood of the city during that time. I was also surprised that there was so much support for and interaction with the refugees during that time. Oswego was not a perfect community. There is no perfect community. And believe me, I searched for flaws. Honestly, though, the people of Oswego, for the most part, really embraced these people. It made me very proud of my hometown.
Q.: What would be the reader take away from reading it?
I think every person takes something different from a book that is read. For me, the lesson I took from writing this book is that as an individual, if I think first about our shared humanity, I can make a difference in the life of another person, and that person can make a difference in my life.
Q.: Was it hard to find a publisher?
Normally it is very difficult to find a publisher. My story is local history, but I think there are wider implications for Oswego’s story, given the current political climate surrounding the refugee issue. But with that local history theme in mind, I looked for publishers focused on local history. I filled in an online story pitch for The History Press and was very lucky to have one of their editors respond with an interest. That is how my publishing story unfolded.
Q.: Are you doing any book signing during the summer?
Where do people find the book? The book was launched on March 23 at Fort Ontario, a fitting setting, and the fort’s director, Paul Lear, has been wonderfully supportive. I will be at Oswego State on April 10, at the River’s End Bookstore on May 11, and at the Town of Oswego Historical Society on May 15. The publicist is working on more signings and events right now in Syracuse and Rochester. And I have been invited to speak at the 80th Anniversary celebration of the refugees’ arrival at the Fort during the first weekend in August.
