Action Reconciliation Service for Peace
A German peace and reconciliation organization addressing the legacy of National Socialism through volunteer service, historical education, and international dialogue.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
The Action Reconciliation Service for Peace, known in German as Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste and commonly abbreviated ASF, is a German peace organization created in the aftermath of the Second World War to confront German responsibility for Nazi persecution and occupation. Its work is based on the idea that acknowledgement of historical guilt should lead to practical service, sustained dialogue, and cooperation with people and communities affected by National Socialism. Rather than presenting reconciliation as a symbolic declaration, the organization has historically emphasized listening, learning, and working alongside partner institutions in countries and communities harmed by Nazi Germany. ASF emerged from the Protestant Church in Germany in 1958, following an appeal by Lothar Kreyssig, a judge and member of the Confessing Church who had opposed aspects of the Nazi regime. The organization was established during a period of debate over German militarization, nuclear weapons, and the responsibilities of the churches after the Holocaust. The original initiative was intended to operate across Germany, but the division of the country led to separate East and West German structures with a shared purpose and different practical constraints. The West German organization adopted the name Aktion Sühnezeichen-Friedensdienste when it became an association in 1968. The East German branch generally used Aktion Sühnezeichen until the two structures were reunited after German reunification; from 1991, the unified organization used the ASF name. The organization’s central activity is international voluntary service. Long-term volunteers, generally young adults, work with Holocaust survivors and their descendants, memorial institutions, Jewish communities, social-service organizations, refugees, people with disabilities, older people, and initiatives addressing racism and right-wing extremism. Projects have operated in countries including Poland, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Greece, Israel, the Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Norway, and the United States. Activities have included work at former concentration-camp sites and memorials, historical and political education, social care, assistance to former forced laborers, and projects involving Jewish-Christian and interfaith dialogue. ASF also organizes short- and medium-term service, particularly volunteer summer camps. Participants work collectively on Jewish cemeteries, memorial sites, social projects, and intercultural initiatives while studying the historical and political context of their work. The program has preserved a role for unpaid staff and alumni, many of whom remain involved in regional groups, public education, and organizational outreach. Since the 1990s, ASF has also hosted international volunteers in Germany through reciprocal arrangements with partner organizations. Education and public engagement complement the service programs. ASF organizes seminars, workshops, conferences, and other activities on memory politics, national identity, antisemitism, racism, right-wing extremism, and interreligious dialogue. It supports or cooperates with meeting and educational institutions such as the International Youth Meeting Center in Oświęcim, Beit Ben Yehuda in Jerusalem, and Foyer le Pont in Paris. The organization has also published the German-language periodical Zeichen and religious-education materials connected with Holocaust remembrance and peace initiatives. ASF is rooted in Christian faith but states that it seeks cooperation with all people and institutions committed to peace and justice. Its practical identity combines historical responsibility, reconciliation work, international volunteering, memorial culture, and social engagement. It is not a commercial product brand; its name functions as the public identity of a nonprofit civil-society organization.
History
The Action Reconciliation Service for Peace developed from postwar Protestant efforts in Germany to address the church’s relationship with National Socialism and the moral consequences of German crimes. Lothar Kreyssig, a judge associated with the Confessing Church and a prominent critic of the Nazi regime, advocated a practical reconciliation initiative. He first sought support at the 1954 Kirchentag in Leipzig, but the proposal did not immediately gain sufficient momentum. A decisive moment came at the 1958 synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany, held in divided Berlin. Against a background of controversy over military chaplaincy and possible nuclear armament, Kreyssig called for the creation of an action of atonement and reconciliation. The appeal acknowledged German guilt and proposed that Germans should not simply offer assistance from a position of authority, but should ask to serve and learn from those affected by Nazi occupation and persecution. The initiative was formally established that year with the support of the synod. The division of Germany soon shaped the organization. Although the founding vision was national, the East and West German structures could not operate as one institution. Kreyssig led the common initiative until the Berlin Wall was built in 1961. In the West, Erich Müller-Gangloff and Franz von Hammerstein became important leaders. The East German work continued under the name Aktion Sühnezeichen and faced restrictions because the German Democratic Republic presented itself as an antifascist state and did not accept the same responsibility for Nazi crimes as West Germany. International travel was often limited, so East German activities initially focused on projects within the GDR. The West German organization began practical service in 1959, initially through construction and restoration projects in countries including the Netherlands and Norway. Volunteers later contributed to projects such as a synagogue in Villeurbanne, the Church of Reconciliation at Taizé, a kindergarten in Skopje, an irrigation project on Crete, and reconciliation work connected with the ruins of Coventry Cathedral. Service in Israel began in 1961 after the Adolf Eichmann trial. From the 1960s onward, the program gradually shifted from construction toward memorial preservation, work with older people, social care, historical education, and projects with minority communities. The East German branch developed a distinctive program of domestic and regional reconciliation work. Although travel to Poland and Czechoslovakia was sometimes denied, changing travel rules later enabled participation in summer camps and cross-border projects. Volunteers worked on Jewish cemeteries and at sites connected with Nazi persecution. Camps and service projects were eventually established at or near memorials including Buchenwald, Sachsenhausen, Ravensbrück, and Nordhausen-Dora. More than 12,000 people reportedly participated in East German summer camps between 1962 and 1992. After German reunification, the eastern and western organizations merged. The unified association retained both long-term international service and shorter volunteer camps. From the late 1990s it expanded and adapted its project network, including reciprocal placements for volunteers from abroad in Germany. Its current work combines service with education on the Holocaust, historical memory, antisemitism, racism, right-wing extremism, interreligious relations, and peace. Volunteers continue to support memorials, survivor organizations, social institutions, and educational initiatives in Germany and abroad. The organization has received the Buber-Rosenzweig Medal, the Marion Samuel Prize, and the Hans Ehrenberg Prize.
- 2006
Hans Ehrenberg Prize
[1]ASF received the Hans Ehrenberg Prize.
- 2001
Marion Samuel Prize
[1]ASF received the Marion Samuel Prize.
- 1996
International volunteers hosted in Germany
[1]ASF began hosting approximately 15 to 20 international volunteers annually through its peace-service program in Germany.
- 1993
Buber-Rosenzweig Medal
[1]ASF received the Buber-Rosenzweig Medal for its contribution to Jewish-Christian understanding and reconciliation.
- 1991
Unified name adopted
[1]Following reunification, the merged organization used the name Aktion Sühnezeichen-Friedensdienste.
- 1979
First East German project at Buchenwald
[1]East German volunteers began work at the Buchenwald memorial site.
- 1968
West German association established
[1]The West German organization became an association and adopted the name Aktion Sühnezeichen-Friedensdienste.
- 1961
Organizational division and work in Israel
[1]The Berlin Wall separated the German structures, while the West German organization began work in Israel.
- 1959
First international projects
[1]Volunteers began service projects in the Netherlands and Norway, initially emphasizing construction and restoration.
- 1958
Organization founded
[1]The synod of the Evangelical Church in Germany supported Kreyssig’s appeal and established the reconciliation organization.
Products and positioning
A faith-rooted but broadly cooperative peace organization that turns German historical responsibility into practical international service, memorial education, and dialogue.
Volunteer service · 1959
Long-term international voluntary service
ASF places young volunteers, commonly between 18 and 27, with partner organizations in countries affected by Nazi occupation or containing substantial Holocaust-survivor communities. Assignments may involve memorial work, support for survivors and their descendants, historical education, social care, work with refugees and people with disabilities, or anti-racism initiatives. The program is the organization’s principal long-duration service format.
Short-term volunteer service · 1962
Summer camps
ASF summer camps bring volunteers together for approximately two to three weeks of practical work and historical learning. Projects have included maintaining Jewish cemeteries and memorial sites, assisting social institutions, and supporting intercultural activities. Camps are often organized by unpaid staff, including former long-term volunteers, and operate in Germany and other countries.
Education and publications
Educational and public-information work
ASF conducts seminars, workshops, conferences, and public programs on National Socialism, Holocaust remembrance, memory politics, antisemitism, racism, national identity, peace, and interreligious dialogue. Its publications have included the German-language magazine Zeichen and educational materials for churches and congregations.
Reciprocal international service · 1996
Peace service in Germany
Since the 1990s, ASF has hosted young people from countries including the United States, Israel, and other European states for long-term placements in Germany. The reciprocal model allows international partners and volunteers to participate in German memorial, social, and educational projects.
Brand decisions
1991
Integration after German reunificationStrategyBackground
The end of Germany’s division made it possible to reunite the eastern and western reconciliation organizations.
Action taken
The merged organization retained both the long-term international service associated with the West and the short-term camps associated with the East.
Aftermath
ASF continued as a nationwide organization with a combined portfolio of international placements, camps, education, and memorial work.
1960
Expansion from construction to social and memorial workStrategyBackground
Early projects emphasized construction and restoration, while the organization’s partners and the changing needs of survivors and memorial institutions broadened the scope of service.
Action taken
ASF increasingly developed placements involving memorial preservation, work with older people, social care, historical education, and minority communities.
Aftermath
The broader model remains central to ASF’s contemporary volunteer program.
1958
From acknowledgement of guilt to practical serviceStrategyBackground
The organization was created in response to the legacy of Nazi persecution and the perceived need for German institutions to accept responsibility through action rather than statements alone.
Action taken
ASF adopted voluntary service, dialogue, memorial work, education, and cooperation with affected communities as its principal methods of reconciliation.
Aftermath
This approach became the foundation for its international volunteer network and later educational and social programs.
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