European Jews and American President Franklin Roosevelt

American President Franklin Roosevelt: The Second World War was still raging on in 1944, although victory for the Allies now seemed possible. Stories of the horrors the Nazis had inflicted on Jews had become more familiar, and American President Franklin Roosevelt thought some gesture was needed to reach out to European Jews. An assistant was sent to Italy the Allies now controlled much of the Italian boot to find 1,000 war refugees who might be offered refuge in the States, according to The Star. Accommodation for the families was found in decommissioned military barracks that played a leading role in the War of 1812, Fort Ontario in Oswego, and the barracks were renovated to house the families. This was the only refugee camp in the States during the Second World War, and the 982 individuals had no official status in America: they were admitted simply as guests of the president and his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. The assumption was that they would return to Europe once the war was over and The small City of Oswego, at the southeast corner of Lake Ontario in New York state, is hardly top of mind in a place like Toronto. But it is where a social experiment took place in the 1940s that Toronto should replicate today. Emphasis was placed on finding families, particularly those who had escaped from cruel prison, and of the 3,000 individuals who expressed an interest, places on ships were found for 982 people to come to America. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.