This sitting area is named for Ilse M. Metzger (1923-1981), a member of the Forest Hills community for many years, who escaped from the Nazis in World War II and continued on to assist Allied Forces in several capacities. From war-torn Europe, she brought with her the compassion and public commitment that blossomed in her transplanted community.

Born on July 28, 1923 in Vienna, Austria, Metzger fled to Scotland, as did many other Jewish children, after Hitler invaded Austria in 1938. Her parents were captured by the Nazis, but Metzger found safe haven with a Christian family in Aberdeen. She worked in a defense factory in London, England during the war, later traveling to Germany to assist the Allies as a reader-translator of important German military and government documents. During this time, she met her husband, David, while he was stationed in the Air Force. Remarkably, her parents survived the brutal persecutions of the Holocaust, and the family was reunited after the war. Metzger immigrated to the United States in 1946.

The Metzgers settled in Forest Hills, where they raised two children, Stephan and Lois. Metzger became involved in the Democratic Party, joining the JFK Club. In 1971, she became a district leader for Forest Hills and Kew Gardens, along with Council Member Morton Povman, and worked to encourage voter registration and improve public services. Metzger also worked with the Boy Scouts, Hadassah, and the local civilian crime patrol. She was also employed as an official in the New York City Department of Transportation. Metzger died of cancer in January of 1981.