Gábor Verő, retired director of the New Hungarian Central Archives died at age 89. As a survivor from deportations to Auschwitz and Ebensee, he was a relentless actor of historical research, publishing and teaching of the Holocaust. He was engaged in the leadership of the Committee of the Persecuted by Nazism and one of the founders and directors of the Hungarian Auschwitz Foundation. His expertise, optimism and perseverance inspired us to carry on the efforts to uphold the memories of the victims of the persecutions. His death represents a tremendous loss for the Holocaust Memorial Center; his memory will be preserved.
Gábor Verő graduated history at the ELTE Faculty of Humanities. From September 1956 he lectured military history, and later universal history at the Miklós Zrínyi Military Academy. From September 1965 he joined the Ministry of Culture and Public Education, where he was eventually appointed deputy head of the Department of Public Collection. In August 1979 he was selected to head the New Hungarian Central Archives. He managed to increase the efficiency of the archives by adding new storage space to the office building at András Hess Square, as well as to include some 12-14 thousand linear meters of new materials. The professional work, the processing of materials and the publication activities by the institution have greatly improved during this period. He remained at the helm of the Archives until his retirement in June 1989.
In 1990 he was one of the initiators of establishing the Hungarian Holocaust Foundation. He contributed regularly to the efforts of the Holocaust Memorial Center and initiated numerous activities to enhance the culture of remembrance. In one of his most important publications Forced Labor Service at the Bend of Don, together with the co-author Imre Rákos he gave an overview of history of labor units within the 2nd Hungarian Army from March 1942 to end of January 1943.
In 2003 he was bestowed the Cross of the Hungarian Order of Merit.