LUCK OR DESTINY?

Many survivors of the Holocaust ask themselves the question, “Did I survive out of luck or was it my destiny to survive?” Few are able to answer the question even after a lifetime of experience, thought, and consideration. Emil Muller’s life has been marked by serendipitous occurrences and surprising coincidences. After his escape from Europe, during which he was always one step ahead of the Nazis, he landed in Cuba where he settled down, married Nina, his wife of 48 years, and started a family and a thriving jewelry business. Castro’s takeover seemed eerily familiar to him, reminiscent of a time in Germany, 30 years earlier. He packed up his family and set his compass for New York.

Once in New York City, again having had to leave without funds, he started a small mail-order jewelry business. He sent flyers to clothing stores throughout the country advertising items which could be purchased and shipped. His first order came from a store in Milwaukee – Harley’s. The store was owned by brothers, Harold and Stanley. Harold’s daughter, Barbara, moved to New York and married. She would visit Emil, now known as Emilio, from time to time just to say hello and look over the jewelry. One afternoon, he told her about a book he had written. It was quite a tale – a man whose knowledge of English was strictly verbal went out and purchased a typewriter, which he did not know how to use, and wrote the book he had promised himself he would write while he was shipboard on the final leg of his escape from Europe, en route from Barcelona to Cuba. The book amounted to 400 pages. A friend Emil knew from the daily bus ride to work, a New York Times writer, read the manuscript and pronounced it compelling, but he emphasized that the English needed work. Emil, at a loss, told his problem to Barbara. Barbara went home and sadly explained the problem to her husband, Kerry. Kerry’s advice? Call my sister. She’ll do it.

I told her to have him call me, and we agreed that he would mail me the manuscript. I had in mind that I would be correcting spelling, making verbs agree with their subjects, and tightening up some overly long sentences. It took me a week to read it. It was as though he had composed each phrase in German and then translated it into English, word for word. But I loved the book. I loved the sense of adventure that pervaded many of his harrowing experiences; I loved the sense of history that guided his actions and reactions to events; I loved the common sense approach and ethical precepts that entered his every decision; I loved they guy’s chutzpah!

So I said yes. Following his example, I went out and bought a computer which I did not know how to use. I worked on the manuscript daily, three pages a day. At the end of a year, the corrected manuscript was finished. We were both satisfied with it, and Emil couldn’t wait to get it published.

For me, the best thing to come out of the experience was getting to know Emil as I did while we worked together on the book, mostly via telephone. I considered it a privilege to be a part of the project because of my belief that every survivor’s story must be preserved and told. But even more than that was the privilege of having this extraordinary man as my friend.

So, when in his characteristically generous way, he insisted that my name appear on the cover of the book, I refused because I did not write it; he did. We couldn’t decide what to call me: I didn’t translate it; it was already written in English. It was not a case of “as told to;” he wrote it himself. I didn’t really edit it; what I had done was less than that but more than that. My solution was to write this preface. It accurately explains my part in the production of Luck or Destiny without putting a title on it. Most importantly, it gives me the opportunity to express my gratitude to Emil for allowing me to be part of it and to my late sister-in-law Barbara for making the shiddach.