Solomon Lapidus - Tuvia The Pessimist
Interview
Solomon Lapidus - Tuvia The Pessimist
Solomon Lapidus - Tuvia The Pessimist
Transcript: We had a...my friend Tuvia was a pessimist -- you know there is a pessimist and optimist, you know? I used to go very often to the Bielskis because I told the boys, "if Bielski will not say no, it means that he accepts you in his camp." People came to him because he had whiskey, he made it himself, whiskey -- he had everything there. A lot of beautiful girls -- I had a girlfriend too, before I met my wife. And he's gonna have a good time. And everybody wanted to go with me. Everybody wanted to go with me, did you know that? [ ] If they're alive, they're gonna go to Bielski and have a good time. You see what I mean? So Bielski said to me, "you have to get more connections with the outside." That means from outside the woods, with Moscow. I said to him, "Tuvia, we have to [ ] build a little platform, the planes should be able to land in a second, and to go -- one, two, three, should be done." So he makes like this, [cleans off imaginary dirt from his hands], this [woods] see, can be [had] over here. I said, "why are you showing this to me?" He said, "it will never happen." That's it! Never happen. He was...I respect him, he was older than me, after all is a commander. I said, "Tuvia, it will happen. Let's do it. Let's do it the way I [tell]..." And he had a lot of boys. Next day we came, we clean up, we put it in, em...from the trees...to put it in, to put it on nobody should know what it is. Next day we came down, and all the sudden we hear, [plane humming]. I said, "Tuvia, a plane is coming!" And I should see my [self] over here, "I'm gonna cry." I said, "Tuvia, the plane, we're gonna land it soon. You're gonna see our plane." He says, "if that's gonna be, I change my mind." Because he was a pessimist, he didn't believe it. And the plane landed, and they bring us alcohol, you know, medical supplies, you know, and they picked up...you know who they picked up? Monkas. Son of a...the Monka's wife's brother. He was wounded. And they put him on the plane, and they took him to Moscow. And [Tuvia] says, "Saul, don't tell nobody this story."
Transcript: We had a...my friend Tuvia was a pessimist -- you know there is a pessimist and optimist, you know? I used to go very often to the Bielskis because I told the boys, "if Bielski will not say no, it means that he accepts you in his camp." People came to him because he had whiskey, he made it himself, whiskey -- he had everything there. A lot of beautiful girls -- I had a girlfriend too, before I met my wife. And he's gonna have a good time. And everybody wanted to go with me. Everybody wanted to go with me, did you know that? [ ] If they're alive, they're gonna go to Bielski and have a good time. You see what I mean? So Bielski said to me, "you have to get more connections with the outside." That means from outside the woods, with Moscow. I said to him, "Tuvia, we have to [ ] build a little platform, the planes should be able to land in a second, and to go -- one, two, three, should be done." So he makes like this, [cleans off imaginary dirt from his hands], this [woods] see, can be [had] over here. I said, "why are you showing this to me?" He said, "it will never happen." That's it! Never happen. He was...I respect him, he was older than me, after all is a commander. I said, "Tuvia, it will happen. Let's do it. Let's do it the way I [tell]..." And he had a lot of boys. Next day we came, we clean up, we put it in, em...from the trees...to put it in, to put it on nobody should know what it is. Next day we came down, and all the sudden we hear, [plane humming]. I said, "Tuvia, a plane is coming!" And I should see my [self] over here, "I'm gonna cry." I said, "Tuvia, the plane, we're gonna land it soon. You're gonna see our plane." He says, "if that's gonna be, I change my mind." Because he was a pessimist, he didn't believe it. And the plane landed, and they bring us alcohol, you know, medical supplies, you know, and they picked up...you know who they picked up? Monkas. Son of a...the Monka's wife's brother. He was wounded. And they put him on the plane, and they took him to Moscow. And [Tuvia] says, "Saul, don't tell nobody this story."