Al Miller, Born November 1922 - Berlin, Germany

Al was born to Alfred and Charlotte in 1922. Al’s family ran a very successful textile business, Mueller & Sussman, which they had owned for more than 50 years. Experiencing repercussions from the Nuremberg Laws, Al’s family arranged for him and his brother Bruno to leave Germany. Al went to attend school in Switzerland and Bruno was sent to England in 1937.

Al’s parents escaped Germany after Kristallnacht; his mother worked tirelessly, going from consulate to consulate until she managed to get into the Belgian consulate. There, she was finally able to obtain passports and the necessary paperwork. Once in Belgium, they reunited with Al and then they made their way to London in December 1938. Al’s father managed to secure American visas for the family amidst the threat of internment by the British government, which was identifying Germans (regardless of their religious affiliation) to be enemy aliens. They were able to immigrate to the United States in August 1940.

Al Miller joined the United States Army during WWII, training at Camp Ritchie in Maryland. Al’s training prepared him to interrogate German prisoners in preparation for the trials in the aftermath of the war.

NOTE: Viewing options—watch the full 30-minute candle lighting ceremony, or view the individual survivors’ stories like this video, separately.