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The Safe Haven Museum and Education Center, located in Oswego, has announced that it has been chosen as the host site of the 2014 Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance Ride To Remember.
The Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance is an umbrella organization consisting of 44 clubs worldwide and has more than 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.
The Safe Haven Museum and Education Center is dedicated to keeping alive the stories of the 982 refugees from World War II who were allowed into the United States as "guests" of President Franklin D. Roosevelt to escape the horrors of the Holocaust. These refugees were housed at Fort Ontario in Oswego from August 1944 until February 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 Safe Haven's board of directors. "We are proud and honored to be chosen by the Jewish Motorcyclists Alliance for this memorable event."
The Ride to Remember event will take place June 19-21 of 2014. This year, the event took place in Orange County, Calif., and Toronto, Canada, in 2012. In the last nine years the organization has raised more than $400,000 for Holocaust awareness.
In conjunction with the Ride to Remember event, the museum will also be commemorating the 70th reunion of refugees and their families. It will be the first time some of these people will have visited Oswego since leaving in 1946.
"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.
For additional information, contact Judy Coe-Rapaport at 315-591-1050.
