Have You Fled A Conflict? Tell Us What You Brought With You

Published November 14, 2018 at 7:05 AM EST

Gert Berliner's toy monkey has traveled far and wide: from Berlin to Sweden, with long periods in New York and stints in Italy and New Mexico before finally winding up in Berlin again.

Updated on May 28, 2019

Gert Berliner packed a stuffed monkey when he fled the Nazis as a child in 1939. He kept the toy for more than a half-century before donating it to a museum, an act that led to a remarkable discovery.

His story got us thinking about what things people take with them when they flee war or other dangers, and we want to put together a collection of stories about the personal objects people hold onto when they are forced to leave their homes.

Since World War II, there have been many conflicts — Syria, Darfur, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Central America, Vietnam and many others — forcing millions of people to be uprooted from their homes and countries. If you have a story about the personal object you, a loved one or friend kept, please share it with us below or here.

Your responses may be used in an upcoming story, on air or on NPR.org. A producer may contact you to follow up on your response, too.

This form was closed on Dec. 9, 2018.