St. Louis, MO, June 30, 2006 …The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) praised Missouri Governor Matt Blunt for his role in forming a new Commission on Holocaust Education and Awareness.

The governor signed a bill into law at the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis establishing the commission to promote the implementation of Holocaust education and awareness programs in the state of Missouri.

"This is an important step toward understanding and remembering the six million who were exterminated in the Holocaust," said Karen Aroesty, ADL Regional Director for Missouri and Southern Illinois.  "It is important for students to understand that great tragedy and its consequences, in order to help prevent future such atrocities."

The bill was sponsored in the state Senate by Sen. Michael Gibbons, President Pro Tem, and by Rep. Tom Dempsey in the House.  The commission members will be appointed by the governor with the advice and consent of the Senate and will be housed within the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.