The Braverman family immigrated to the United States from Russia beginning in 1911 and soon settled in Iowa Ctiy. The family consisted of four brother, Joseph, Aaron, David, and Eli and one sister, Masha. The brothers were primarily in the grocery business in Iowa City and, along with their spouses and children, were prominent and active members of the local Jewish community. There were too few Jewish families in Iowa City to support a synagogue until 1920, when Agudas Achim opened it doors. However, in 1911, when Iowa City’s first Hebrew School opened, Joseph Braverman taught the classes. Later, he and his familiy would be involved in the local United Appeal, Jewish Ladies Relief Society, and the Agudas Achim Sisterhood.

Naomi Braverman was born to Joseph T. and Sarah Braverman in 1922. Along with her sister, Betty Braverman, she attended City High School in Iowa City. As a student at the State University of Iowa, she was a member of the Jewish sorority Sigma Delta Tau, Mortar Board, and Hillel. She married Meyer Markovitz in 1944 and raised four children. She died in Phoenix, Arizona in 2013.