--shveig! shveig!
just shut up! please.
we'll be back.
stop it.  but asael is lost in a confusion of grief and panic.
stop it. stop it! finally zus grabs him in a gesture halfway between violence and comfort. and holds him as asael rocks back and forth.
big brother returns. tuvia and zus look at each other warily.
you saw them? yes. tuvia saw them. zus takes the mezuzah from his pocket, tosses it to tuvia.
welcome home.
hope at least you killed a few. tuvia just stares at him.
horodysze. hiding in a cellar. i'll bring her when it is safe. where is rifka?
you are still separated?
your rich wife. zus chews with the open-mouthed relish of a peasant.
so why exactly have you come back? tuvia just stares at him. the reason is obvious as he holds his younger brothers.
you have a plan?
stankowicz' farm is closest.
fuck the dogs. wilencki then.
no. we take it.
we. take. it.
i have run from the police my whole life. do you really think it's a good time to stop? a moment of decision. who holds the balance of power?
we want food. be quick about it!
now!
where is your gun, farmer?
where is your gun? holding his bloody face, the farmer cowers in fear.
he's lying. he kicks him again. the farmer begins to weep.
you're lying! zus dumps the remains of the farmer's dinner onto him.
if i hit you once more, you will shit your pants. twice and you will never shit again. the farmer knows zus won't hesitate.
we were never here.
he's lucky i didn't crush his head.
fucking polack. i've eaten shit from these people long enough!
no. some i will kill.
ah.
bernicki.
he always had it in for papa.
so we will go and ask him if he did.
one pistol isn't enough. we need rifles. machine guns.
just because you didn't.  the sound of footsteps. zus jumps up cocking the rifle. aron emerges from the trees. and then, behind him, the survivors he discovered among the corpses. the middle-aged man holds a teenage girl by one hand and carries his younger daughter.
we cannot feed them.
and the pistol.
remember to say please.
i send you for food and you bring more mouths to feed.
did you at least get the gun?
then we'll have to make them count. zus heads for the food. asael is trying to start a fire but the kindling is wet.
only one bullet left.
how was it?
to kill them. it was good, no?
what are we going to do with these others?
the women will slow us down. and your old teacher--
we have to be able to keep moving, and quickly.
alright. but no more.
tuvia, i have pity for them all,
and how will we feed this family?
and this one, is she family?
tuvia, this is rona. rona is my forest wife.
hello, boys, what can we do for you?
these little shits are holding us up. the young man motions his partner to take zus's rifle.
you little shits have the balls to shoot me? in response, the young man chambers a round.
no.
i want to see if this little shit will shoot me. you like shooting jews, you little shit?
no. we're the gestapo, you little shit.
or perhaps you'd prefer i shove them up your ass.
you know a woman there, sonia bielski? the men look at one another.
there was a child. jacov shakes his head. sorry. zus leans his head against a tree. after a moment he begins to beat his head against it until blood pours down his face.
so many dead.
mama. papa. their heads are close together, their faces wet with tears.
why not us?
i thought they'd be safe. i should have been with them.
i could have protected them. tuvia just holds him. he, too, is crying quietly.
better to be rabbits? hunted? hiding? no.  zus breaks free of tuvia's embrace and walks away.
we will kill all the germans you can handle. starting tonight. they stare up at him, his face a mask of blood and filth.
if you're not afraid to use that rifle.
blood for blood. you had your revenge.
'vengeance is mine.' who said that?
no. only you can play god. save a few lives, take a few others.
if only.  are you coming with us or not?
peretz and jacov.
we are the bielski otriad! we are
he was pissing on my head. zus is high from the killing, covered in the dead man's blood. he begins calling out orders.
peretz, jacov, check the car for guns.  this one's yours. he presents him with the schmeisser as if it were a trophy. tuvia accepts it, checking the gun efficiently.
i'll check his pockets for more ammo.
welcome to belarus, herr henkel. a champagne cork pops as peretz and jacov toast their victory.
how'd you get past the lazar?
you shit! you worthless shit! zus punches him, knocking him the ground. in a sloppy, drunken frenzy, zus slaps him again.
he walked right by you! someone could have been killed! tuvia pulls zus off him.
if we were real partisans he'd be shot.
mistake! we cannot make mistakes! as zus goes for lazar again, tuvia roughly pulls him off. zus goes flying, tripping over, landing on his ass.
koscik, put your pants back on and leave those sheep alone. he steps into the shadows to find:
asael.  well, well.
no.
what's killing me is all your talking. back to work. malbin and shimon go back to work.
it's nothing.
good morning, friend. getting an early start to market? could you possibly spare us a bit of milk? zus' tone is belied by the rifle in his hand.
we are so grateful, comrade, for your cooperation. what a lovely coat. is that a fur collar?
lazar, you can see it's us, you idiot. you only ask, 'who goes there' when you don't know who it is.
blintzes! you will make me blintzes! she bestows her best smile upon him.
of course.
i like the woods. laughter and music waft through the trees.
go ahead. she drinks, refuses to grimace. drinks again. zus laughs. - bella touches the rifle in his arms.
there aren't enough for the men.
what for?
women have men for protection. bella bites her lip. she's a virgin but also realistic.
quiet! not another word!!! the policemen begin firing. two of the group are killed. tuvia roughly pushes people deeper into the woods.
there are hundreds of us! who is
next one is to the head!
next time just draw them a map.
it means -- we should have killed the fucking milkman. your policy of diplomacy is shit. zus is breathing hard, full of the adrenaline of battle.
two are dead. winter is coming and now we have no shelter. why? because you don't have the stomach to do what must be done. he walks away.
i'll take the two on the left.  tuvia maintains his composure.
so we're partisans now.
and what exactly does that mean, 'do what we can.'
and if it is a hundred? six hundred?
and when the germans follow these hundreds and slaughter us.
you won't let that happen.
from the ghetto.
pan tuvia. rabbi tuvia. allow me to kiss your hand.  tuvia tries to pull his hand away, but zus holds him.
you think pachenko wants hundreds more of us in the forest?
and who is it that's risking our family, and for what? for the sake of these-- (gestures at the new
that's who comes to us from the ghetto. empty clothes. bloodsuckers.
pretentious jews. jews who stuck up their noses and wouldn't give us the time of day when we passed them on the street. jews who went out of their way to keep their daughters locked away from our dirty hands.
is this your business? zus gains the upper hand and starts to beat the crap put of tuvia. finally, in desperation tuvia rolls away and picks up a rock. he is about to slam it into his brother's head when suddenly he stops himself. the two brothers look at each other, both breathing heavily -- realizing that they have crossed some line.
ben zion. krensky. lova. israel. let's go. we are going to join the real partisans. he looks at asael.
are you coming? asael looks at one brother, then the other. once again, he is in the middle. he looks at chaya, then back at zus.
good. i'll dance at your wedding. he stops by bella's side, touches her arm, then disappears down the trail. the others follow.
get up! move! shoot or i'll shoot
arrrrggghhhhhhhhhhhhh! he rolls the grenade under the truck and dives away as it explodes. the remaining germans raise their hands. cheering partisans leap into the truck, capturing an arsenal of rifles and ammo. the jewish fighters join in the looting. boots, coats, blankets, etc. zus approaches the wounded and captured german prisoners, kneeling in surrender, hands behind their necks. without hesitation, he shoots them, point-blank, one after another. viktor approaches zus, who salutes.
i am a bielski, too. viktor looks at him appraisingly.
that is so. russian. he cracks open another bottle and takes a big slug.
'a jew can't drink, a jew can't fight.' what is it we are good at, viktor? dying. that is what we are good at.
asael?
i know who you mean.  the great tuvia bielski. savior of the jews and all around big shit.
he competes with me.
he is a big shit also?
--so we attack the transmitter.
there would be medicine in the police headquarters at stankiewcze, yes?
tuvia and i grew up there. perhaps the bielski otriad will volunteer to take out the transmitter. viktor looks from zus to tuvia.
krensky, ben zion. let's go.
well.  he looks into the back where the others wait, anxiously clutching their weapons. tuvia tries to hold back a cough.
stay with the truck. and make sure it's in gear when we get back.
i give the orders tonight. across the square, the police station looms.
i don't? what about the typhus?
i have been given this mission by my superior officer. he starts to get out the cab. tuvia reaches into his pocket, takes out the mezuzah that once blessed their parents' home.
go. go!
go, damn you!
medicine.
fighters die so that malbushim may live, that's what you believe, yes? tuvia absorbs the accusation as if taking a punch.
communist, zionist, manicurist, what difference does it make? you got your medicine.
so you remember.
lova, what happened? who did this? lova sits and buries his head in his hands.
lova. tell me. who?
for this they beat you? lova is trying not to weep.
forgive me, commander.
i want to report the mistreatment of a comrade. gramov looks up. zus meets his eye.
this man beat comrade lova -- for no reason at all.
anti-semitism is a violation of party discipline. panchenko sighs. does he really have to deal with this?
he doesn't look good.
let's just say the former owner no longer had need of it. zus winks. the other bodyguards stare impassively.
embrace me. asael looks confused for a moment, then embraces him.
you want them to find tuvia's camp. viktor just looks at him.
you're deliberately sacrificing them so we can remain safe?
those are my brothers.
for how long? panchenko's orders are never to be questioned.
and if we cannot hold the position? panchenko looks at gramov, who stands nearby cradling a submachine gun.
i am so honored, comrade. panchenko wheels his horse and gallops off. zus and his men take cover in the woods. in the distance we can hear the unmistakable sound of approaching armor. lova kneels beside zus.
good question.
no. they look at each other. so much unsaid. no time to say it.
perhaps you have room for one more?
what?
	145:
on. your. knees. pig! the policeman begins to weep.
asael, too. tuvia looks over at asael, who looks away.
you don't understand. they made me give them my truck.  zus fires. jacov and peretz follow suit. the man goes down. they throw his dead body onto the burning truck.
shut up. look at this-- he has two more rifles and a large box of ammunition. tuvia turns to koscik's wife, deeply moved.
then i will teach you!
chaya! he waves as chaya turns to look in their direction. asael smiles, embarrassed.
you think your old teacher will give you a good grade because you saved his worthless ass! they accept you as their leader only because they are too weak and full of shit to help themselves.
that should come in handy. next.
this is the one place in all of belorussia where a jew can be free. we will make again, here in this forest, the life that was taken from you. we welcome you into our community.
sorry, tuvia.
from the bottom of the pot. tuvia can barely get the soup down.
if you're well enough to tease me, you're well enough to eat. i'll see what's for supper. she gets up to go.
who would make a move like that?
hide this. wolnicky stores ammunition for us in his barn. there's no guard. he slaps asael fondly on the cheek and rejoins his comrades.
they're coming! why aren't we moving? tuvia looks up at him, lost. almost helpless.
how much farther? malbin shrugs his shoulders. who knows?