Missouri lawmakers will back a plan to name a stretch of highway for a Holocaust survivor, three years after a neo-Nazi group "adopted" it in a litter-clearing program, the bill's sponsor said on Friday.
Representative Sara Lampe said she respects the free speech rights of the National Socialist Movement, but wants people to see Springfield, a stronghold of Christian activism in America's Bible Belt, as welcoming Jews and all faiths.
The bid to have the 1.5 mile stretch of highway near Springfield named for Rabbi Ernest Jacob has strong bipartisan support and the backing of his family, she said.
"It's important when people travel down that highway to know we have diversity in this community," Lampe, a Springfield Democrat, told Reuters on Friday.
Jacob moved to Springfield after World War II and was known for working well with ministers of all faiths for the good of the religious community, Lampe said.
The proposal passed a Missouri House committee on Tuesday and Lampe expects it to win full approval of the legislature this spring. The signs could go up late this summer, she said.
An effort to name the highway section after another rabbi ended two years ago after objections from his family. A bill to name the segment for Nazi war criminal hunter Simon Wiesenthal failed to gain legislative approval last year.
Reuters
