Monday, April 25, 2022

ONL - Bransk 1899 - Scene 6 and Scene 7 - Beginning

 The grandfather clock of the Wolf's house transforms into a distant church bell. We follow Shimon and Yehuda walking in the woods.) 

Yehuda: It's noon. 

Shimon: (sarcastically) b'emes?

Yehuda: I'm just saying it's later than it should be. Isn't it?

Shimon: It's not late. 

Yehuda: But the balebos said be back by 1. 

Shimon: The balebos will wait. 

Yehuda: The balebos was very specific about what time we need to be back. 

Shimon: The balebos will understand. 

Yehuda: But it's already noon!

Shimon: It's not that late. 

Yehuda: What do you mean it's not that late? It's noon and we haven't even gotten daw yet!

Shimon: We'll get there when we get there. For the goyim it's noon for us it's whatever time they say. 

Yehuda: For us it's noon too. 

Shimon: For us it's whatever time the goyim tell us it is. 

Yehuda: Well for the goyim it's noon. 

Shimon: You obviously don't know goyim. 

Yehuda: I've known enough. 

Shimon: If you've known enough you'll know that it's whatever time they tell you it is. 

Yehuda: What time will they tell me it is?

Shimon: Ask them.

Yehuda: Shimi, if the goyim think it's noon, why wouldn't it be noon?

Shimon: You're a greycer mensch Yudaleh, figure it out. 

Yehuda: Because...

Shimon: Becaaaaause....

Yehuda: Because... 

Shimon: Koom on...

Yehuda: Because goyim lie to us?

Shimon: Emes! You got it! If we were still in kheyder Tateh would give you a stupid frize. 

Yehuda: What are they gonna lie about?

Shimon: That they don't have the money, putz. 

Yehuda: Why wouldn't they have the money?

Shimon: They never have the money. 

Yehuda: They don't?

Shimon: That's what they always tell us. 

Yehuda: But they're lying?

Shimon: They're always lying. 

Yehuda: Why would they lie to us?

Shimon: You can't possibly be as much of an amoretz as you look. 

Yehuda: Seriously, why would they tell us that unless they...?

Shimon: Because they don't want to pay us the money!

Yehuda: But they have the money?

Shimon: Of course they have the money! They usually have it because we gave it to them! 

Yehuda: OK... Ot azay.... Nu, so how we gonna get it from them?

Shimon: We get it from them by waiting. 

Yehuda: What do you mean?

Shimon: We get it from them by not leaving. 

Yehuda: You mean, we just stay there? In the goyim's house?

Shimon: Emes. 

Yehuda: Why would that help?

Shimon: If you're a goy do you want Jews on your lawn?

Yehuda: If I'm a goy I'd eat some pork first. 

Shimon: Yehuda, we're Jews, we're Zhids, seeing us on their lawn makes questions. 

Yehuda: Makes questions?

Shimon: If Jews are visiting you, something's usually wrong. 

Yehuda: What's wrong?

Shimon: Like maybe you owe money. 

Yehuda: That's a question?

Shimon: Or maybe you've made some bad friends. 

Yehuda: Like Jews?

Shimon: Sure, like Jews. 

Yehuda: Every goy beats us up and we're the bad friends?

 Shimon: Not every goy beats us up. 

Yehuda: If a goy a reason, he'll beat us up.  

Shimon: Not every goy is a Kowalski. 

Yehuda: Every goy is a Kowalski, they just don't know it yet. 

Shimon: A Kowalski? Not every goy is a merderer...

Yehuda: Tell any goy in Bransk that we're secretly carrying bags of gold around everywhere, see how quickly those nice farmers cut through us with that knife you got in your zak. 

Shimon: But why would they believe we've got bags of gold? They see how poor we are. 

Yehuda: Not all of us are poor. You been to the Wolf house lately?

Shimon: And how many Bransker live like Wolfs except Mrs. Wolf?

Yehuda: The point's there are rich Jews.

Shimon: How many rich Jews are there in Bransk?

Yehuda: Well there's the Wolfs and then...

Shimon: According to the Bransker we're rich Jews.

Yehuda: Who thinks we're rich Jews?

Shimon: You see many families that can afford eleven sons? 

Yehuda: That's luck!

Shimon: They all know about Ezra. 

Yehuda: Ezra.... why isn't he giving us money again?

Shimon: He's still giving us money. 

Yehuda: Not as much as he used to. 

Shimon: We can make our own money now. 

Yehuda: You call this money?

Shimon: It's a job. 

Yehuda: We should have become rabbis. 

Shimon: You wanna be like Tateh and spend your life beating up vildeh chayehs?

Yehuda: You've been to the Rabbi's house, somehow he's living pretty grays.

Shimon: How many Rabbis become a Rebbe with their own court?

Yehuda: What about Z'vulun, he's an illui. 

Shimon: Even if he's the smartest Yid in the world, and he might be, he has as much chance of becoming a Rebbe with his own court as Mameh does. 

Yehuda: Well there should be more Rebbes' courts. 

Shimon: Why would that be?

Yehuda:  A town who wants to have machers always has a rabbi who's a macher. 

Shimon: How's that working out for us?

Yehuda: It would be worse if we didn't have a famous Rabbi. 

Shimon: He's not famous

Yehuda: Rabbi Schkop was. 

Shimon: He's not Rabbi Schkop. He's not even related to Rabbi Schkop. 

Yehuda: He will be when he's older... What's it take to become a famous Rabbi? 

Shimon: Well first you need to get a Bar Mitzvah...

Yehuda: Seriously, if Jews had more Rebbes there would be more machers.  

Shimon: If Jews had more Rebbes there wouldn't be enough following to make machers. 

Yehuda: Is that the heus up ahead?

Shimon: Yeah. It's yenem. 

Yehuda: What am I supposed to do?

Shimon: Zey shtil like a good Yiddisher kop, let me do the talking, and learn the ancient Jewish art of debt collecting. 

Yehuda: Ancient?

Shimon: You ever hear about a shtetl without debt collectors?  

Yehuda: Ancient makes it sound like it's in the Toyrah. 

Shimon: Of course it's in the Toyrah! 

Yehuda: It is? 

Shimon: What do you think Moshe was doing?

Yehuda: Wasn't he taking the Yids out of Egypt?

Shimon: Richtig. He was taking the Yids out of Egypt by sending Pharaoh a bill of how many wages he owed. 

Yehuda: I don't remember that passage...

Shimon: Neither did Pharaoh. 

(we hear a large man coming up to them) 

Yehuda: Are we about to talk to Pharaoh?

(they get stopped by a large man) 

Polish Peasant: Tutaj sa! Here they are! Every time a family has a tragedy the Zhids are here to swoop in like vultures to drink the blood! 

Yehuda (whispers to Shimon): Charming...

Polish Peasant: The Jews are here! The Nowaks are inside. You'll find there is no blood left for you w(v)ampirs. 

(we hear the sounds of a priest intoning last rites) 

Polish Peasant: (suddenly trying not to break down crying) Maria, they're here. 

Maria Nowak: Oy wychwalac Boga. You come from God in heaven. 

Henrik Nowak: This is what we prayed for. 

Yehuda: (whispers to Shimon) This is not what you told me would happen. 

Maria: We have the money but we have to ask you...

Shimon: Let's take care of the money first. 

Henrik: Please just listen to what we have to ask. 

Shimon: We really ought to take care of the money. 

Henrik: But if you just listen to what we have to...

Shimon: It's really important that we take care of...

Henrik: If you just listen to what....

Shimon: We'll be happy to listen after but first...

Maria: PLEASE! If you Jews have an ounce of charity, you will listen! 

Shimon: (sighs) Alright Pani Nowak, what would you like to tell us?

Maria: You have such eyes for business, and we have such things to sell you. 

Shimon: Oh dear, we should...

Maria: Look (goes over to furniture and opens drawer)... This broach, it belonged to Henrik's mother and her mother before her. It came from a Boyar who loved Henrik's. 

Shimon: That's very lovely but we really don't have...

Maria: Or these pisnaki, look at these eggs that were painted by my son...

Yehuda: Wow Mrs. Nowak, those are truly beautiful. 

Shimon: Yehuda! Sha!... They are truly beautiful, but unfortunately we don't have the mo....

Maria: Or my mother's shawl. She made it when she was pregnant with me, her first daughter, and wore it every day until she died when I was six. 

Shimon: That's truly beautiful but surely you'd want to keep something that means so much to you...

Maria: Or maybe you'd like what's under the shawl more... (we hear Maria rubbing Shimon's kapoteh) 

Shimon: Mrs. Nowak, please, my brother and I are respectable people, as we know you are. 

Henrik: Your brother?! Perhaps you would like some smoked cheese to take home to your matka?

Yehuda: That's a lovely offer but unfortunately we can't eat it. 

Maria: We know we're not good enough for you, but please... we have lived together for so long.... surely you see how we are suffering...

Shimon: Mrs. Nowak I assure you that we have nothing but regret that we have to do this job but...





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