Retired school doctor, civic organizer

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She realizes the historical dialogue between German and Hungarian society through joint work and personal meetings. As a retired school doctor living in Germany, she established the connection between the Hungarian Jewish Cultural Association (Mazsike) and the German Evangelical peace service organization Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste.

As part of the cooperation, international volunteer camps have been organized in Hungarian Jewish cemeteries and memorial sites for several years. The participants – mostly young people and university students – have worked in Ádánd, Balatonfüred and Tolcsva, in addition to caring for the graves of the Kozma Street cemetery. The aim of the program is not only to tidy up the graves and memorial sites, but also to learn about the history, cultural heritage and contemporary community life of Hungarian Jews.

The campers meet representatives of civil and Jewish organizations, young people, the elderly, and Holocaust survivors. Vera Braun has been one of the organizers and driving forces of the program from the beginning: she combines volunteer work with historical knowledge and living community experience.

Her work shows that in order to process the burdens of the past, in addition to being informed, action, cooperation and responsibility are also needed. The physical work done together, the conversations with survivors and local communities help to dissolve prejudices and to gain a personal understanding of Europe's historical responsibility. The 2019 volunteer camp was also immortalized in a documentary by György Dobray.