A surprise vote in the U.S. Senate Tuesday cleared one more hurdle for Oswego’s Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum in its long run to become a national park.
Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) brought their separate proposals for new national parks under one bill. The bill was approved by unanimous consent in the nearly empty chamber, meaning the two parties’ leaders agreed to okay the measure without Senators having to vote.
The museum, located in a former administrative building adjacent to Fort Ontario, opened in 2002 to tell the stories of the 982 Jewish men, women and children brought to America at the height of World War II. The refugees lived in a fenced-in camp at the fort, escaping the German Nazi regime’s systematic murder of more than 6 million of Europe’s Jews. They were the only refugees brought to America during the war.
Nearly a decade ago, efforts began to consider whether the state-run Fort Ontario and its four outbuildings should become a national park. Congress ordered the National Park Service to study the question. That study was delayed by the pandemic, but in 2024, the final report urged making the area of the four outbuildings, including the Safe Haven museum, a 2.4 acre national park while leaving the historic fort as a state park.
In her speech on the floor of the Senate, Gillibrand said the story of the refugees deserves a permanent place in the nation’s memory. Making the area a national park, she said, “would give this site permanent protection and make sure it is preserved for future generations so they can learn about its history of hope, compassion and resilience.”
Judy Coe Rapaport, the non-profit museum’s president, was caught off-guard by the news. She told WRVO Public Media that when she got calls Tuesday from Gillibrand’s and Sen. Chuck Schumer’s offices, she assumed it was their annual call to wish her a happy Hanukkah.
"I had no idea Senator Gillibrand was going to (bring a bill to the floor)," said Coe-Rapaport. "I think she was doing it as a surprise, especially during Hanukkah."
In an emailed statement, Schumer urged the House of Representatives to pass this legislation. A similar bill was introduced in the House earlier this year by Rep. Claudia Tenney. A spokesperson emailed a statement from Tenney saying she “will continue advocating for swift passage of my legislation to ensure this important site is preserved for future generations.” The spokesperson did not answer a question about the status of Tenney’s bill, which was introduced in February and sent to a committee, which has taken no official action on it, according to Congress’s bill tracking system.
Rapaport said she is not getting her hopes up, as one house of Congress approved the national park in a previous session while the other did not. She thanked former Rep. John Katko for his initial efforts on the bill and Tenney and Gillibrand for their continuing work.
