Mr. President. in August. a tearful reunion was held in New York City to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the arrival in that city of a group of refugees who were fleeing Nazi persecution. These refugees came to the United States on August 3. 1944. as the special guests of President Franklin Roosevelt. Roosevelt relaxed Government quotas to provide a haven for these European men and women. Of the 982 people fleeing persecution. almost all were Jews trying to escape Hitlers sadisic antiSemitic campaign. These refugees lived in Oswego. NY. until the end of the war 18 months later. The city of Oswego warmly welcomed the refugees into their community. One man remembered arriving in New York City as a young boy from warravaged Europe. He recalled that: With all the colors. it looked like a circus. although I had never seen one. I was used to the sounds of war and here I was surrounded by the sounds of life. The refugee children of Oswego. NY. have since distinguished themselves in the arts and sciences. as well as the business and academic worlds. This reunion reminds one of the horrors of genocide and war and the preciousness of life. As one former refugee remarked: The shame lies out there with the world at large. So many more of us couldand shouldhave been saved. This reunion also reminds one of the emphasis Americans correctly place on human rights.
Keywords matched
refugee refugees