5  “On Guilt and Atonement” Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste and Its Activity in Israel Lilach Marom Introduction T he topic of this article is the organization known as Ak- tion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste (Action Reconciliation Service for Peace; ARSP). he main emphasis will center on the founding values of the organization, its modus ope- randi from the time it was established in 1958 to the 1990s, and, especially, its activities in Israel. he development of the ARSP is examined in light of the parallel processes of how memory of the Nazi past and the Holocaust was shaped over the years in German society. At certain times the ARSP constituted a minority group that bucked the dominant wave in the shaping of German memory; at other times it it into a broader trend. Either way the position that the organization adopted was formed in reference to the prevalent state of mind in Germany at each given time. he irst part of this article deals with the ARSP in three main pe- riods: 1958–1968; 1968–1980; and 1980–1992. Obviously, one cannot subject the process of memory formation, a non-quantitative phenom- enon, to precise periodization. hus, the periodization ofered here is an attempt to deine the main trends in certain years, even though speciic processes began or ended in time brackets other than those chosen. he irst part of the article examines the ARSP’s constituting values, its leadership, and the proile of its volunteers in each of these periods. here is special emphasis on the organization’s activities in Israel and the dilemmas that these activities brought into play. he sec- ond part of the article focuses on the lasting efects of the volunteers’ term of service.