Ludwig Heinrich (Henry L.) Brill

Born:	08-25-1917
Faculty:	Medical School | Medical University Vienna
Category:	Expelled student

Ludwig Heinrich (later Henry L.) BRILL, born on August 25^th, 1917 in Vienna/Austria (entitled residency ('heimatberechtigt') for Vienna/Austria, Citizenship: Austria), son of Dr. Arthur Brill (lawyer, b. May 14^th, 1881 in Vienna, d. April 3^rd, 1964 in Parishville, New York) and Martha Brill née Bloch (b. February 22^nd, 1882 in Vienna, d. March 6^th, 1969 in Parishville, New York), lived in Vienna 3^rd district, Radetzkystrasse 31.
Like his father he attended a high school ("Akademisches Gymnasium") in Vienna's 1^st district, where he graduated on June 26^th, 1935 ("Matura"/"Reifepruefung"). Subsequently he began to study at the Medical School of the University of Vienna in fall term 1935/36.
In fall term 1937/38 he worked as research assistant of Prof. Robert Willheim at the department of medical chemistry of the University of Vienna, where he also passed the examination for demonstrators. He was enrolled finally in spring term 1938 at the Medical School in the 3^rd year of his studies, passed the first of three final examination ('Rigorosen') on May 23^rd, 1938 and the examination in laboratory subjects on July 13^th, 1938 (Leaving Certificate ('Abgangszeugnis') was issued on September 28^th, 1938). In 1938, after the takeover of power of National-Socialism he was forced to quit his medical studies for racist reason and to leave the University of Vienna. Brill made efforts to emigrate to Australia and on May 11^th, 1938 he filled in an emigration form at the emigration-department of the Jewish Community in Vienna [questionnaire (Nr. 2102)]. He tried to emigrate together with his elder sister Angelika Henriette Brill (1913-2002, dressmaker, kindergarten worker and language teacher) and her fiancé Dr. Moses Thaler, physician, who graduated from the University of Vienna on November 4^th, 1935, and wanted to help their parents out of the country soon. He spoke German and English but had no money to finance the journey, but a valid passport. He also stated that he not only had three years of studies at the university, but also one-and-a-half year of practical experience in the laboratory of the department of pathological histology, bacteriology and serology in Vienna 9^th district, Spitalgasse 31 and wanted to get a job as a chemist or laboratory assistant in Australia.
Between July 15^th, 1938 and January 15^th, 1939 he worked as a laboratory assistant at the histological and bacteriological laboratory of the Rothschild-Hospital of the Jewish Community in Vienna.
In Vienna he met his later wife Toni Reinhold (b. June 25^th, 1916), whom he married in London in 1939. On April 11^th, 1939 Ludwig Heinrich Brill received a visa for Great Britain and emigrated some days later. On April 18^th, 1939 he arrived in the Kitchener refugee camp in Richborough, where he spent the following year. His wife worked as a house maid in Sandwich in the South East of England, while other family members emigrated to the USA, Switzerland, Palestine [Israel] and other countries. Ludwig Heinrich Brill and his wife Toni emigrated on March 9^th with the SS Lancastria from Liverpool to the USA where they arrived on March 21^st 1940 in New York/USA. They lived together with his parents in a two-room apartment in Queens.
His sister Angelika (Angela Thaler) and her husband escaped to Switzerland and followed to the USA in 1948 and then moved to the countryside of the state of New York near to the Canadian border and 400 miles north of New York City. Ludwig Heinrich Brill's brother-in-law was able to continue his work as a physician in Switzerland as well as in the USA - but only after passing some extra examinations.
Ludwig Heinrich Brill's father Arthur, who had studied Austrian law and worked as a lawyer in Vienna, was not able to find a job in the USA and later lived with them together with his wife Martha. The parents of his wife Toni did not succeed to emigrate from Vienna anymore, although their children made many efforts. In 1941 their frequent correspondence stopped, father-in-law Oser Reinhold (born on August 4^th, 1887 in Brody) was deported from his residence in Vienna 2^nd district, Rotensterngasse 23/2/1/33 to extermination camp Sobibor [Sobibór/Poland] on June 14^th, 1942, where he was murdered. Heinrich Ludwig Brill initially learned English and worked as an unskilled worker in a factory, where he e.g. cleaned machines. In order to start a career he attended a night school and got a training in engineering at a Trade school. Temporarily he tried to build up a toy company together with a friend, but was not successful. Then he worked in several jobs in engineering, e.g. made blue prints for machines.
On January 7^th, 1946, Heinrich Ludwig Brill and his wife Toni (Tony) Reinhold Brill received the American citizenship. He changed his name from "Ludwig Heinrich" to "Henry L.". In 1946 their daughter Margaret Anna ("Peggy") was born, in 1953 their son David.
Compared to Vienna the requirements to study medicine in the USA were very high. Due to the strict selection process Henry L. Brill was not able to resume his medical studies in the USA. He always criticized modern medicine because of the little personal contact of the physicians to their patients. Although, it was hard for him to give up his dream to be a doctor. He later studied engineering at a university and graduated in 1967 at the age of 50 years, in order to advance in his occupation. He held several patents for technical machines in the USA, e.g. a bar code reader. Henry L. Brill died in 2003 in New York at the age of 86 years.

Lit.: Archive of the University of Vienna/enrollment forms ("Nationale") MED 1935-1938, register of final examination ("Rigorosenprotokoll ") MED; Archive of the Jewish Community Vienna; POSCH/INGRISCH/DRESSEL 2008, 370; information from his son David Reinhold Brill, Ph.D., USA, 2013/14; Archive of the Jewish Community Vienna; Documentation Centre of Austrian Resistance (DÖW): Austrian Victims of the Holocaust [Oser Reinhold]; KNIEFACZ/POSCH 2017c; information from his niece Joan Dobbie (née Thaler), USA, 08/2020; Angela Brill-Thaler's Biography, Max Thaler's biography; Leo Baeck Institute New York, MS 764.

Katharina Kniefacz, Herbert Posch