The Missouri Holocaust Education and Awareness Commission was created by the Missouri legislature in August 2006 (SB 1189) and shall be housed in the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. The Commission may sponsor programs or publications to educate the public about the crimes of genocide in an effort to deter indifference to crimes against humanity and human suffering where they occur. The Commission may receive funds appropriated from public monies or donated by private sources.
The Commission shall be composed of 12 members appointed by the governor with advice and consent of the Senate. The makeup of the Commission shall be nine members of the public, representative of the diverse religious and ethnic heritage groups populating Missouri, the Commissioner of Higher Education, the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education and the President of the University of Missouri system.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Missouri Holocaust Education and Awareness Commission is to promote implementation of the Holocaust and awareness programs in Missouri in order to encourage understanding of the Holocaust and discourage bigotry.
The Holocaust is defined as the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its allies and collaborators during the period from 1933 through 1945. Millions of others were also murdered.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum CHEC Partner
The Missouri Holocaust Education and Awareness Commission is a member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Community of Holocaust Education Centers. This community is a dedicated network of local and regional organizations that participate in training at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., learning about new resources and historical content, and engaging in ongoing collaboration with peers advancing Holocaust education across the country.