Once We Were Brothers

In 2004 Catherine plays Ben a security tape that shows him trespassing on Elliot’s property. Ben says he tried to look into Elliot’s windows in search of some of the stolen property. Furthermore, Ben refuses to sign the order of protection, knowing that Elliot would never face him in court.

In 1941 Ben returns to his old house only to find it occupied by strangers. Like all Jews, the Solomons now live in the New Town ghetto. Otto tells Ben that his family refused to leave because Abraham is on the Judenrat and Dr. Weissbaum runs a clinic in New Town. Ben demands his family’s life savings of 60,000 zlotys. Otto says it is at his house; he didn’t trust Zeleinski, the new proprietor of Yaakov’s farm.

Otto drives Ben to the New Town ghetto, which Ben describes to Catherine as “the worst poverty you’ve ever seen” (164). After chastising Ben for returning, Abraham tells him that the Nazis ordered their dogs to maul Grandpa Yaakov to death. Because Joseph could not stand on his own, the Nazis sent him away. Meanwhile, Hilda is dying of typhus.

Unable to convince his father to leave, Ben decides to retrieve his money and return to Beka and Hannah that day.