• i „, ,• . . In her dramatic story of how 982 escapees from Nazism in 1944 were per- mitted to enjoy refuge at Fort Ontario in Oswego, N.Y. Ruth Gruber tells about the first Bar Mitzva conducted by the Jews who formed a synagogue during their stay there. The story is told in Gruber's "Haven" (Coward McCann), re- viewed in The Jewish News Commentary column Aug. 12. The Bar Mitzva* was Joseph H. Langnas, now as-, , sociate pathologist at Botsford Hospital in Far- mington Hills, Mich. Dr. Langnas • was naturally moved by the Gruber ac- count. Upon reading the re- view of "Haven," Dr. Langnas contacted The Jewish News to give his im- pressions, based on his re- collections of the camps, where Ruth Gruber played a role after having per- formed the duty, given her as a member of the staff of the then Secretary of In- terior Harold Ickes, to ac- company the rescued during a perilous sea, voyage from Italy on an American war ship. The story as related by Dr. Langnas, who also ac- companied his reminis- cences with photographs, follows: . "I read with great interest and surprise your review of the book, 'Haven' by Ruth Gruber. I was very in- terested in your review since, until that time. I did not know Ruth Gruber had written about the refugees in Fort Ontario. "I am interested in the book since my family were some of the refugees living in Fort Ontario, Oswego, N.Y. from 1944 to 1946. I was surprised the Jewish Resettlement Service did not re- member the name of the family that came to De- troit in 1946, the first im- migrants to arrive here after the. Second World War. "The family that came di- rectly from Fort Ontario to Detroit was the family of Ignaz Langnas, age 47, his wife, Dora Langnas, age 34, his son Joseph, age 15, and a daughter Bettina, 10. They arrived in Detroit and lived "Ignaz applied to leave Italy and come as a re- fugee to the United States on the ship well de- scribed in the book, 'Ha- ;yen.' The fact that he was chosen to come and ac- cepted the invitation by the President of the Un- ited States, Franklin. De- lano Roosevelt, was a dif- ficult decision due to his lack of skill, education and age, with the possi- bility to be sent back to Europe at the end of the war. "The book in its final pages described the con- tributions a few refugees made to the United States. Missing from this group was the Langnas family. "Ignaz -and Dora settled here. Ignaz died in 1972 after working in several dif- ferent pOsitions. Dora re- tired as a seamstress from the J. L. Hudson Co. and is now remarried, living in Montreal and Miami. Bet- tina married Bernard Lis, who lives in Southfield hav- ing three sons, all living in Michigan. Joseph married -Frieda Zalc and is now an Osteopathic Pathologist practicing at Botsford Hos- pital. They have four chil- dren, the oldest is now mar- ried and lives in Far- mington Hills. "As a young particip- ant in the Oswego experi- ence, I did not find the time spent in Oswego •as wasted. It gave me the opportunity to go to school and begin the love for the United States. I at- tended public school in Oswego, learned English, and every evening I went back behind the fence in Fort Ontario. Real free- dom was not achieved until the family arrived in Detroit. "I deeply admire Ruth Gruber for her courage in Israeli Interes JWB Scholars NEW YORK — JWB scholarships totalling $60,550 have been awarded to 22 students enrolled in graduate schools of social work, health and physical education and Jewish com- munal service. s 4i, • Of Southfield 569-0882 25080 Southfield Road at 10 Mile SERVING COMPLETE GREEK CUISINE • Cocktails LUNCH and DINNER • American. Dishes HOURS: MON.-SAT. 11 a.m. to 2 a.m., SUN. 11 a.m. to 12 mid. Kitchen open til l2 mid. Sun.Thurs. til 1 a.m. Fri, & Sat. OPA! HOUR 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. REDUCED PRICES ON DRINKS! ASK ABOUT. OUR COMPLETE OUTSIDE CATERING CATERING SUNDAY 10 -ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT BRUNCH OUTSIDE AVAILABLE $a95 a.m. to 2:30 pm-‘1 Children 95 , Adults under 10 FOR ALL OCCASIONS • 11011•••••••••••••••••••••••1100.11. • • • • RATED #1 • • • • 10 BY DETROIT NEWS • • • • • • • • Delicatessen and Restaurant 548-1111 or 541-2888 13821 W. 9 Mile Road • Oak Park • • •- • S. • • • • • • ilir • • • , • • •i . : • • • By Overwhelming Request We Are Pleased To Announce • • •, • • • • • • • NOW OPEN 1 1 a.m. TO 9 p.m. • : 7 DAYS A WEEK • • 4. sr ALL COMPLETE DINNERS - OFF 2 , MON. -SAT. 5 p.m. TO 9 p.m. _ • - - .. 4 , c. . , ,. . - . 4 ‘.1 W.* 00 41 . 0 • • • *II *0 • II*. 00 00.41 • 0 4.0 0 0 41 4 , u- g et . • • • OUR NEW HOURS • • Shown is the Langnas family, shortly after they arrive4 JERUSALEM (ZINS) Financial experts say that $50,000 invested with Is- raeli banks at current in- terest rates would yield the investor $1,000 per month. 1944 ana I am also 'Haven,' by Ruth Gruber, is grateful she wrote a book a revealing book to be read about it so that the children by anyone interested in and grandchildren of the American and Jewish his- immigrants will remember. tory." Library Presents Jack McCarthy Detroit television per- sonality Jack McCarthy will appear at the Far- mington Hills Library 7:30 p.m. Tuesday discuss his re- cent book, "Jack McCar- thy's Restaurant Recipes." For information on the free program, call the lib- rary, 553-0300. 1,1. 4 ttlitf, rAtZ Ruth Gruber s 'Haven Revives Detroiter r's Memories in the House of Shelter on Gladstone near Woodrow Wilson for a short time until the father was employed. "Ignaz and Dora Langnas, originally from Vienna, went to Italy in 1938 where they spent the entire war. Ignaz was in- terned twice in Italian con- centration camps and each time freed. The family was interned in . southern Italy but released to live in a small town in the northern part of Italy. "After the surrender of Italy, when the Germans tried to round up all the Jews in Italy, the family, with the help of the Italian underground and the Ita- lian people, hid and were fi- nally liberated in Rome by • the American Fifth Army. 19817 19 THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS - 11. *-- b. , * * . & .14. 16 .• c . • -• > 4 V w _ 1,4. , •,. ... . • . 4 . • • • i • Ili • • • ,4s% LISAIAL I/ V5t, '