NONAGENARIAN DONATES HIS 80 YEARS OLD TOY MONKEY TO A MUSEUM,GETS THE SURPRISE OF A LIFETIME

 

Gert Berliner was torn apart from his family when he was only 14 years old. The Nazis had taken over the country and the Jewish were running here and there to save their lives. Gert and his family were one of them. Luckily for Gert, he managed to escape it by moving to Sweden leaving behind his parents. The man kept receiving letters from his father and one day it stopped suddenly. His parents were no more. But there was one thing that stayed with him through his good and bad days. It was his toy monkey.

Now the man was 94 years old and his toy was still with him.  However, one day he had to bid farewell to it as he gave it to a Jewish museum. But that was not the end.

The monkey toy was gracing a Jewish museum of Berlin. It was very small in size and too ordinary to be noticed. The fur was worn out and the sides were torn. No one could have ever imagined by its appearance the power this tiny toy monkey held.

Gert Berliner

Gert Berliner who turned 94 this year has an interesting past. The man is a photographer by profession who likes capturing life in his camera. He came and settled in the United States in the mid 20th century. 

Reserved

The old man had always lived a reserved life. He had kept his surprising past to himself only. He spent his youth immersed in his work. And it is because of that he never got to spend much time with his family. The man remained distant from his son. 

Past In Dark

As mentioned earlier, Uri did not know much about his father’s past story. The only thing he knew about his dad was that his father used to live in Germany and ran away from his place to escape the Holocaust. Nothing more than that.   

Major Missing

Though Gert Berliner never showed, he missed his family a lot. The family that he had left in Germany. The man was only 14 years old when he was taken to Sweden through Kindertransportan, an Underground Railroad type program. The program was only for kids. The boy could not pack many things.      

Packing

The decision to transport him was taken in a hurry. He did not even have enough time to pack his stuff so his father stuffed his suitcase with whatever he found easily. He also put a toy monkey in his bag.  The one he would keep with himself always. 

Never Gonna Meet Again

The boy did not know at that time that his separation with his family was forever. He would never meet his family ever again. 

Smiling

This picture is of Gert Berliner from his young days. Clearly, the boy in the picture looks happy and confident. His smile was conveying his jolly nature. But soon his smile was going to disappear. The Gestapo was going to take away everything from him.   

Unexpected

Violence had broken in the city. The series of harrowing events began to occur in November of 1938. Hell had broken loose on Jewish people. Everything from Jewish shops to homes was burned to ashes. The German civilians and Nazis were targeting Jewish people. He said, “I do remember,” his father remembered, “I went out on the street … a lot of glass; you heard fire sirens; synagogues were set on fire.”

Giving Up

Gert continued, “I was the only child just like you were. The marriage of my parents was not the best, so I really – I was my mother’s all. And for her to give up her child is heroic. You know, the pain that she felt must have been so terrible. But she let me go.”

Another Family

Uri takes the conversation further from there, “my father arrives in the city of Kalmar, Sweden, on the Baltic coast. He’s worried about his parents, but he’s reached shelter, taken in by a generous, kind family.”

Everything Changed

This marked a big change in his life. He was no more a German. He had new parents and a new home. The life had played its cruelest joke on him. He was the only child of his parents and was greatly fond of his mother. However, the biggest twist of his life was yet to be unraveled.

Letters

The young boy kept getting letters from his parents. One of the letters read, “My young son, I can’t write much. I’m in a terrible state. Papa’s written everything important to you. As long as we are still here, we will continue to write to you. Chin up – with God’s help, (laughter) we will see each other again – loving, greetings and a thousand kisses, your mother. I remember the letter.” However, the parents were murdered very soon.

Never Saw Them Again

Uri explained, “But my father never saw his parents again. Sophie and Paul Berliner were sent to Auschwitz by train, transport number 38, on May 17, 1943. They were murdered there. This is what I could never ask my dad about – exactly what happened. Had his whole family been killed off? One thing I thought I knew for sure – the line of living Berliners – it was small, very small – my dad and me and, later, my son Ben.”

Relocation

Gert Berliner moved to the U.S when he turned 22. It was there he took up the profession of photography. The man had started a new life on his own. He had nothing with him except for determination and a suitcase that still had his toy monkey in it.

Well Established

Luckily, he managed to find his feet in his profession. He began to earn good money and soon got married. His new life was thriving but the old one remained forgotten and tangled.

Toy Monkey

The one thing that stuck by him through thin and thick of his life was that toy monkey that stayed in his bags. He had no idea what was he keeping. The toy monkey was going to write an unexpected chapter in his life. 

His Life

He carried on with his regular life. And not for once did he fly back to his native country. The fear was still there and the pain of separation from his family too. The man would spend most of his time alone.

Distant Father

Gert’s son describes him distant. The man always maintained a distance with his children. He would not chit chat with them as much as usual parents do. His past indeed had left an impact on him. But that was just the beginning. The past had left a lot uncovered.

In Ignorance

This way many years passed by and that toy monkey remained forgotten in a suitcase. But after almost seven decades its time had come to step out of that suitcase. Gert was immensely in love with that toy of his.

As A Child

Why would he not be? The toy reminded of his carefree day as a child. Of the time when he used to ride his bicycle with the toy clung on the handlebar of his bike. And of the time he played with it whenever he used to get bored.

I Liked Him

Berliner recalled his father once saying about the toy, “I liked him. He was like a good luck piece.” And its charm was still not gone. Little did he know that the toy he had kept inside a suitcase was going to bring the biggest change in his life.

Exhibition

He finally took his toy monkey out when Aubrey Pomerance, the Jewish Museum Berlin’s archivist asked him if he had anything that they could showcase in an exhibition. Aubrey was looking for something personal that could appeal to the visitors.

Archivist

“In 2003, an archivist from the Jewish Museum Berlin named Aubrey Pomerance visited my dad at his apartment in Manhattan. My dad had met Aubrey before and liked him. This time, Aubrey was there to ask a favor. Did my father have something from when he was a Jewish child living in Nazi Germany? Something that visitors to the museum could relate to personally?” said Uri.

Something Personal

Gert recalls the conversation to National Public Radio, “When he was here, he said, you know, we have exhibits. And at the exhibits, what people really want is something personal. Do you have anything? And I thought, I don’t know. Then I realized what I had. I had a little monkey.”

Wait, What?

He asked the archivist if he would like to have that. The toy monkey was with him for 80 years now. The archivist himself was surprised when Gert made the offer to him. The toy was completely worn out with one of his limbs gone. Aubrey asked Gert to reconsider his decision.

So Much Meaning

Pomerance said, “and I remember him looking at me and saying, you’d like to have it for the museum, wouldn’t you? And I said to him, Gert, it’s such a personal object. It’s an object which has so much meaning and is filled with emotion for you. I’d never ask for you to give it to the museum. He said, you know what? I’ll think about it.”

Handing It Over

Gert finally decided to give it to the museum. Gert said, “Frances, my wife, didn’t want to give it away (laughter). But I did give it away.” The toy was the only connection between him and his past.

8 Decades

He had held onto it for 8 decades and now was the time to let go of it for a bigger cause. At that time Gert and any of his family members had no idea that this generous act was going to bring back the old days. He gave away his toy in 2003.

Usual

Twelve years down the road, everything was the way they had been. The toy was gracing the museum for over twelve years. In 2015, a woman going by the name Erika Petterson visited the museum. The toy monkey had Gert Berliner’s name carved beside it. 

Opening It

There were many other mementos but Erika who had come to the museum for the first time opened only this one. The mementos belonged to Jewish children who spent their time in the Holocaust.

A Kid’s Name

The Swedish woman remembered, “And there was this toy monkey and a picture of a small kid, a Jewish kid named Gert Berliner. And I thought, that’s a coincidence. My mom’s name is Berliner.”

Coincidence?

Erika told her mom about it. For Erika, it was an amazing coincidence. She did not give it much thought. But little did she know the importance of the little information she had passed on to her mother. 

Trying Luck

Agneta who had a part of her family in Berlin decided to try her luck. She searched for Gert’s contact details and found out his email address. “And there was an email address, and I was a bit maybe hesitating a bit because I thought maybe this is just a stranger. But by then, I was so curious.” Thereafter, she tried to contact him.    

A Prank?

Gert received a call, “Suddenly, because of the monkey, I have a phone call, somebody in Sweden, of all places, saying, well, I think you’re my cousin.” The man could not understand how to react. Was someone pulling a prank on him? Was someone rubbing salt against his wounds? He needed time to believe the person.

A Phone Call

Gert had gotten a phone call from his family after 8 decades. He needed to know who was on the other side of the phone so he asked them to meet him. In the last 80 years for the second time, he felt his heart racing at its fastest speed. The first time was when he moved out of his native place.

Three Berliners

Uri said, “Agneta Berliner and her sister, Suzanne, arranged to meet my dad when he was in Berlin at an exhibit of his photography. And so it all came together – how we weren’t only three Berliners. It turns out my father’s dad, Paul Berliner, had a brother named Carl.”

Cousins

He continued, “Carl Berliner had two sons, and Carl sent them to Sweden for safety, too. But they didn’t get out of Germany on the Kindertransport. They made it to safety a different way, sent to work on isolated farms deep in the Swedish countryside. Those boys were my dad’s cousins, but they lost touch with each other.”

Best Surprise

Gert is extremely happy. It is the best surprise he has received in his entire life. The man got back his family after so many years. Gert describes, “It’s a gift.” “In my old age, I have discovered I have a family.”

Re-established

Uri said, “Now, some 80 years later, a bond has been re-established with the help of a tattered toy monkey. This summer, I traveled to Sweden to meet my newfound relatives and to retrace my father’s steps. I met Agneta and her family on Sweden’s solstice holiday — Midsummer Eve, and we celebrated together with a traditional Swedish feast lasting well into the evening.”

Amazing And Delicious

He added further, “The famous meatballs, salmon, toasts with schnapps and a beautiful cake with more strawberries than I’d ever seen in my life. Even though we had just met it felt good to be around my newfound relatives. To be part of a larger family — a family that hasn’t just survived, but has grown and thrived.”

Close Connection

Uri himself felt an intimate connection with them. He had met them only once. The family was extremely comforting. He did not feel for once that he was seeing them for the first time. They had a lot to catch up on.

Telling Him

Uri said, “My dad didn’t make the trip. So we called him in New York — Erika, Agneta and me all on speaker, filling him in our visit. It was a bittersweet call. At 94, my dad doesn’t get out much. He’s alone a lot in the apartment with time to reflect.”

Getting Old

The man loves spending time alone. “You get old,” he says. “I walk around with a cane, shaky. You have time. You sit in a chair, an easy chair and start thinking about your past, what happened,” said Uri.

Monkey Toy

This is amazing how a monkey toy with no life inside changed so many lives. Gert would have never imagined that a toy he held on to all his life would help him get back to his family.

In Disbelief

Uri himself is in disbelief. He said, “What happened to his parents, to him and our family is still hard to absorb. But one little thing from the past also delivered a big surprise. My father packed that monkey in a suitcase when he fled for his life nearly 80 years ago.”

Concluded

He concluded, “It turned out he had to give up that treasured piece of his history to discover something new about the past. “It’s a gift,” he says. “In my old age, I have discovered I have a family.”

Got Viral

The story, when put in the public domain, tugged to thousands of people’s heartstrings. Some called it sad, some focussed more on its happy ending. One of the Twitter users going by the name Allison Norlian said, “Just listened to @uberliner’s piece about his father surviving the Holocaust & how a stuffed monkey brought him together with unknown family in the future. The story is riveting & I’m sitting here crying. Thank you, Uri for sharing this heartfelt story.”

Never Happen Again

Mona Huffman, another user said “Thank you for sharing this story. What a horrific part of our world history. People should tell theses stories again and again so that we remember and take steps so that atrocities like the Genocide of Jewish people never happen again.”

Epitomizes Freedom

Twitter user Sora wrote, “I love the image of a toy monkey strapped to the handlebars while riding around town. It’s so vividly sweet. It epitomizes freedom for me.”

Amazing

So how do you like this story? Isn’t it amazing? A toy monkey that remained under a suitcase for long changed Gert’s family when taken out. Have you ever heard or seen an incident like this?