Sunday at the Žirgynas

The single men living in the Žirgynas, the barracks housing unmarried, male Displaced Persons, had a tradition of gathering on Sundays.

Sometimes they went for a "promenade." Often, they raised a glass or two. Whatever they did, the men of the Žirgynas always looked sharp and collected.

Seligenstadt, Germany, 1946. My maternal Grandfather, Jake (on the far left), and other men from the Žirgynas meet on a Sunday. Even the priest has joined them.

Share a Toast with Friends

Seligenstadt, Germany, 1946. My maternal Grandfather, Jake, raises a glass with his friend Karl, the tailor. The men sit in someone's room in the DP camp's barracks for single men, the Žirgynas. There's a photo of a woman on the wall, but I can't make out who it is.

Sunday Promenade: Coat Edition

I asked my Mom whether Jake's friend, the tailor, had sewn this striped coat for her.

He did not.  Mom got the coat from UNRRA, which distributed the hand-me-down to Mom as part of its relief efforts. Mom made the most of it:

Erlangen, Germany, 1946 or 1947. My Mom models a "new" coat. She stands between two medical-school classmates. Check out the platform shoes worn by the woman on the far left.

Style and Resourcefulness

When I look at our old photos of Displaced Persons, I am struck by the fashionable clothing my family members wore. The DPs lacked homelands, jobs, and money, but they had plenty of style.

My maternal Grandfather, Jake, had a good friend who was a tailor. I'll call him "Karl." Karl engaged in some bartering and once secured nice second-hand clothing and fabrics. He took a worn coat, for example, turned it inside out, and made a "new" coat for my Mom.

Mom also recalls unraveling sweaters and reknitting the yarn into more trendy pieces.

Most of the DPs were shocked when the wives of the American soldiers appeared in public in pincurls, hair rollers, and pedal pushers.

Seligenstadt, Germany, 1946. My maternal Grandfather, Jake, stands with the tailor, Karl, in front of an American truck.