Statement: Kitty S.
Cherished people from Laa, dear guests from near and far!
I am Kitty S., nee Drill. I live with my family in Vienna. My cousin Peter Drill and I are the descendants of one of the families that are mentioned here at the memorial. My grandfather, my father and my uncle had a groceries und a horse trade here in Laa prior to 1938 and were known as the „Drüll Jews“ in the area.
I have spent the first four years of my life in Laa. My mother married from Vienna to Laa. We lived in the „Mittelgasse“. The house still stands today. Back then it was a sensation that a young couple, my parents, owned a bath tub that was to be heated by wood. So our relatives often came to take a bath.
The business and the stable were in the center of the town. A new house has been built there. On Sundays my grandmother used to stand at the window and chat with the people who passed by. Her niece, Erna Hauser, came by and asked: „So what are you going to do this afternoon, Aunt Gisela?“ Granny said: „Looking out of the window, what else.“ Enra replied: „That’s fun. I’ll come for that, too.“
In 1938 we, and all the others I've mentioned, had to leave. We were scattered into the whole wide world or ended in a concentration camp. Every family has its own history. We, the Family Drill, came back in 1947. My father and my uncle started a horse trade in Laa again. We lived in Vienna and each of the two brothers spent half of the week in Laa. The stables were in the yard of the Inn Stimsohn, where the Coffeehouse Moser is today. My cousin Peter, born in 1950, spent half of his elementary-school years with his parents in Laa. He cherishes those childhood memories. I rarely joined my Dad and never particularly fancied the place. When I spent my vacations in the 50s in the Austrian Salzkammergut or in Italy, my Dad always used to say: „Why do you drive that far, stay here, in Laa it’s nice, too.“
In the early 60s the brothers Drill retired. Horses were no longer used for agriculture. Tractors had replaced them. Our surviving relatives, Erna Hauser, how had emigrated to England, and the sisters Herta and Hilda Drill from Australia, enjoyed coming to Laa whenever they visited Austria. They would be proud to be here today.
Through the contact with Lena Müllner and her family as well as their interest in the Jewish past of Laa an der Thaya, I feel more dearly about Laa today. I thank you, dear Müllner family, for your honest and loving interest at this part of the history of your town. Your tireless work has reached a climax today. The generation of our grandparents and parents was driven away by the Nazi-regime. We, the children and grandchildren, have come from all parts of the world to celebrate this dignified celebration with you. We are here because – just as my father said – „it’s nice in Laa, too“.