- [Producer] Ten years ago, we started Driving Jersey.

When people asked us what we were doing, we'd tell them, finding out what it means to be from New Jersey, but it didn't really matter what the territory was honestly.

We were telling stories, ours and other people's.

Human drama and human comedy and everything in between.

Here are the stories.

- I've been here before.

I believe that.

- The truth is always changing.

I know that because, it happens all the time.

- I always wanted to be free [laughs].

Finding the loopholes in life.

[laughs] - Life is meant to have fun yo, and art is what gets you out of that dark place.

You know we all been there.

[upbeat music] - [Person Behind Camera] How you doing?

Nice to meet you.

- My heart and soul is like right down the middle of this street.

This was such a magical place, and it's kind of like that thing that you can never go back there again.

- We have an inherent and indefeasible right to a clean and healthy environment.

[music continues] - Well that would be a remarkable fairytale.

- God bless you.

- Thank you so much.

- Some of the questions get answered, some of them don't.

More questions always come up as a result of what we're exploring.

- He's here right now, tell him!

- [Man behind camera]I'm here right now.

[upbeat music continues] - It's a very emotional and very creative community building venture.

- And then while I was painting this, I realized that I used to swim there as a kid.

So that kind of changed everything for me.

So we do know what we want to do when we're seven, really.

It's just a matter of whether or not we forget it.

- I kind of want to be a showgirl.

I want to be a showgirl, that's really just myself.

[crowd cheering] Like I want to be if Frank Sinatra was a dancing girl.

That's what I want to be.

[laughs] It's a little overwhelming sometimes, but come on.

- [Cameraman] Stare directly into the camera, for 3 or 4 seconds.

- [Cameraman] Come on over, closer to the light, come into the light.

- Yeah don't do that, you'll scare little kids.

- [Dirk] I'm, I'm Dirk from Belgium.

- How did you get here?

- I have this mic in my hand, I want to break into a two.

♪ fly me to the moon ♪ Hey where you from?

Nice tie pal.

I feel like with the mic I have to do something, you know, and a tie on no less.

- I've been playing guitar for 27 years and I'm gonna be frankly honest.

It's rebellion at it's finest.

[crowd cheering] - We the people, that's you.

You are the government.

I think humanity has forgotten about that.

- What's up with all these heavy questions?

- [Cameraman] Well I just want to get those out of the way first.

And then I'll ask what your favorite color is.

- It's true.

- Does that answer your question?

[upbeat music] [guitar strum] - That good?

- [Cameraman] That's awesome.

[leaves crunching] - I went to like a bunch of different places, and I, I saw strangers everywhere and my mommy says, don't talk to strangers, don't go near strangers and don't walk with strangers.

So pretty much know about strangers, because like, I think I'm going to learn about it in the future maybe.

- [Cameraman] Gotcha.

So your mom told you what to do and you're, you feel safe about it?

- Yeah.

- [Cameraman] Let me ask you something, do you have a lot of friends?

- Yeah.

I have like 1 million friends.

- [Cameraman] How do you make these friends?

- If you don't know someone, you go up to them and ask, you ask something about them and then if they have something like in common, maybe, you can maybe be their friend or if they like you, you can be their friend.

Or if you like them, you can, you can definitely be their friend.

- How do I look?

Oh!

I don't know, I'm waiting for you.

You tell me when.

Stand right here?

- Me me me my mo mo muah muah, okay - I got my hair all done up, I colored it.

Yeah, it looks nice.

I look good.

- Guys quiet.

Put that down and leave it down please.

- Uh, guys - [Cameraman] There we go.

- [burps] Sorry!

[laughs] Are you gonna put that in there?

- [Cameraman] Well I'm filming.

- Toy boat, toy boat, toy boat, toy boat.

Alright, ready to go - [Cameraman] You can come closer, closer still.

- I feel really - [Cameraman] Oh, that's good, that's good.

- Do I look in the camera or do I look at you?

- [Cameraman] You look at me.

- Why?

- [Cameraman] Because, well you could look into the camera, you want to try that?

- No.

- [Cameraman] Okay.

[laughs] - Should I do an introduction or just?

- [Cameraman] Yeah, so you can say hi, I'm Dr. Peter Olivieri.

- Okay.

- Oh hey!

- [Cameraman] Right there.

Nothing in your teeth.

- Hi, I'm New Jersey.

- My name is Jim Keady, K E A D as in doctor, Y.

- My name is Ana, and I'm from Lakewood, New Jersey.

- Hi my name is Rich Myer, Morristown, New Jersey.

I came out here to help.

- My name is Brian Nowell from South Jersey.

- My name is Margaret and I am 9 years old.

- Hello I'm King Philippe from Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, New Jersey.

In Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

- [Cameraman] You want to do it all over again?

- I'll do it all over again, yeah.

- Hi, my name is Dr. Peter Olivieri.

I'm principal and assistant superintendent of Weehawken High School.

- My name is Cory [indistinct], I'm from Toms River.

- My name is Johnny from Montclair, New Jersey.

- Hello I'm King Philippe, from Medieval Times in Lyndhurst, New Jersey.

- Liz Jeressi, morning show cohost, 94.3 The Point, or mommy to my kids.

[laughs] Pick one.

[laughs] - It's Bob Ellis.

And I'm from OSHA Grove, New Jersey.

[laughs] - Johnny be quiet okay?

Okay, thank you, sorry.

- Hey Steve.

Thanks for having me today.

- [Cameraman] Where are you from?

- I grew up in Mars, but I was born on Venus.

- My name is Brian Newman.

I'm a band leader, trumpet player singer.

I love playing music with, with my, some of my best friends.

And we just love, love making, making a, ah, let me do that again.

- Hi I'm New Jersey.

Everybody knows me.

- My name is Eric Shamrock.

I live in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.

What makes me happy is riding my low rider.

- Hi, I'm Chelsea.

I'm from Totowa.

My style?

I dress how I want.

I do what I want.

- I'm a Puerto Rican homosexual skinhead belly dancer, who owns and operates a vegan food truck, and more.

- My name is Brian Newman.

I'm a band leader, a trumpet player, singer and arranger.

We write, write music and play music with some of my best friends.

And we just love playing beautiful venues and playing for beautiful audiences.

Just having the most fun we can have.

- I am wonder woman.

I do it all.

I raise kids.

I run a home.

I play roller derby.

I start a business, sell a business, work a job.

I never stop.

- I'm a local organizer and an activist.

I've been doing grassroots education and political organizing here in Monmouth county for the last twenty years.

- Hi, my name's Ryan Bot, I'm a nice guy.

- Well, I really think I'm the kind of guy who liked to sing from early in the morning to late at night.

♪ you know I'd go ♪ ♪ from rags ♪ ♪ to riches ♪ I'm the kind of guy that wanted to make people happy.

Little did I realize, that's the way, that's the way it was.

I, I just, I just decided that happiness is what life's all about and if you could be happy, that's it.

- I would like, I guess, if people watch this and it makes them feel comfortable with trying to learn more about somebody else.

And I think that they will find themselves wanting more of that.

- [Cameraman] What makes you happy?

- Oh, being present, being, being in the moment is, is like, that is the key to happiness.

You know, like expectation and expectation and, and not being present is the downfall of our mind.

You know?

It's like, so there's not one thing that makes me happy.

You know, it's not like surfing or the sun or, you know kids.

It's not like, they all can make you happy, but they can all also make you miserable, if you're not like, if you're not in that moment, you know, they can all make you miserable if you're not in that moment.

If you're thinking about being somewhere else or you're thinking about what was, or what could have been you're you're not, that's not happiness for me.

- [Cameraman] Let me ask you.

I've been asking everybody this same question.

What do you do to make yourself happy?

- I got my family.

And we're together, and her friends, they're here and that's all that matters.

That's, that's it.

- Well, I, I have known other people who've lived in one place for many, many years, and then, you know, talked to them while they were making their move and going someplace else.

And it just didn't really occur to me that even when you are going someplace, that's going to be wonderful, it's still sad to leave home.

- I never regretted my choosing this career.

And I was very successful raising a family and taking care of my husband and animals.

And yet still being a full-time teacher that really enjoyed coming into the school.

And I loved my kids no matter what grade, whatever year it was, I always had a wonderful class.

And I think children are very perceptive.

They were able to know that I care deeply for each and every one of them.

And I had a favorite song.

I would always start each day the same way.

I would walk through the, into the classroom and the children would all sit down and then I would sing.

I love you a bushel and a peck.

And I would walk around the room and sort of do this to each one of the children and they loved it, they felt loved.

And I really did love them.

And that was, that was the way we started our day every day.

- And I moved home, I packed up everything.

My children moved in.

My son moved here.

The day after, he died.

Maybe two days after, my daughter was still in high school.

So after she finished school that year, I moved her down here to be with my mother and the following month I moved down.

And I've been here for the past five years.

It has been the most difficult, gut wrenching, beautiful, enlightening, eye opening, life changing experience.

And it makes me so happy that he trusted me with all of this.

And it makes me so angry that he trusted me with all of this.

But all I can do is honor his request and honor my promise.

Because the one thing, one of the many things I've learned from my father was that all you have in this life is your name and your word.

I made a promise and I will keep it.

- You know that in history, there's never been a time when somebody wasn't killing somebody in the world.

I think somebody made some statistics.

It was 20 minutes.

Sometimes when somebody wasn't killing somebody or starving somebody around the globe.

What have we learned?

- [Teacher] So it is my privilege today to welcome Mrs. [indistinct].

[clapping] - I'm going to take you with me and express and tell you a story.

Once the story, once I'm finished, and once it's said, the story belongs to you and I'll tell you why.

You're young.

You have many years to go and you'll be able to tell the story to others because it's very, very important.

Because you will see how hatred and prejudice can destroy a people.

I am at the age we'll all be very lucky if I'm here 10 more years.

I am 79, older than some of your grandparents.

So I won't be here to tell the story.

And someday you will go somewhere.

You'll go to high school, you'll go to college, you'll get a job and so forth.

And people are going to say it didn't happen.

It couldn't happen.

People don't do things to other people.

Human beings can't do that to other human beings.

That's what we thought.

That's what my father thought.

That's what my mother thought.

So I'm going to tell you what people do do to other human beings if they're not careful.

And I'm telling this story for you, so you could be careful.

And when you see ugliness and meanness and prejudice and bullying and so forth, you are there to maybe do something about it.

- We were only allowed a certain amount of mail from back home.

I don't remember exactly.

Once in three months, was it six weeks?

I really don't remember, but I remember receiving the first letter from home.

And it was from my adopted uncle.

But the hand, the address, but the handwriting, I recognized it was my father's.

So my father was still alive when I got my first letter and he had the received my letter first, you know, I mailed to my adopted uncle.

He said that he is happy that I'm okay.

And everything is good here and I hope to see you soon, love dad, no, he put love uncle.

And so I was very, you know, encouraged that my father was alive.

[Indistinct] everybody was alive, I wasn't sure anyway.

Then the next letter, months later when it was given to me, it was not my father's handwriting anymore.

And I started panicking, but I started saying to myself, control yourself, you cannot give yourself away.

And it was from my uncle, from my adopted uncle.

He just said, we had a horrible, horrible harvest.

It wasn't harvest time.

And I'm sorry that I have to let you know that, please take care of yourself.

Love, your uncle.

So I destroyed that letter right away.

It was not harvest time.

I understood you know, I was smart enough to understand what he meant by it.

- A neighbor was very willing to take me, came to my mother.

I must've been eight, nine months old, 10 months old.

And because things were happening, the war hadn't broken out yet.

I was, I was a year old when the war broke out.

But my mother said, no, she was born as a Jew.

I tell you these are her words, that she told me about.

And we, she will die as a Jew if she has to.

She came from a religious family.

So she, and the fact is, that many children that were saved by Gentiles survived.

But many times they never did.

And they survived, but the parents never found them again.

So this is, this was her choice.

- [Cameraman] You say her family was a religious family.

Were there rabbis?

Were there rabbis?

- Lots, she comes from a dynasty of rabbis.

They were called the Gera, Gera is a dynasty.

You know, in Judaism you have these dynasties, your rabbi, your child, your son, the whole generation.

She must've come from 10 generations of rabbis, but she herself felt that she was more modern.

In fact, there was the issue that when she lost, she lost 150 people, every brother and sister and every one of their children.

And, and they fought parents, and she came up at the age of, I don't know how old she must've been, maybe, 35, 36, something, completely alone.

Just me, of course, and my father.

It was a miracle, but she felt that she was punished, because she did not follow the Orthodox way.

So till she died at the age of 45, she felt that she left the small town with all her family.

She moved to [indistinct], which is a very modern city, because my father was very modern.

And she said to me, you know what God said?

[sighs] Just think about it, you know, Oh God.

You left them, now we're going to take them away from you.

That's what she thought.

And at 45 she just laid down and died.

She went to sleep.

She didn't get up.

- [Cameraman] Your mother sounds like she was tortured by many things.

- Completely tortured, she was a tortured person.

And it's interesting, she told me that.

But you know the effect it had on me, all her stories, I'm not a tortured person.

[sighs] - [Cameraman] Why.

How did you manage to avoid that familial thing?

- Because, I wanted to undo it.

- It was October, I remember that much.

It was overcast, and I stood in front of the gate and it said in many languages, never again.

And I couldn't make myself walk in.

And I stood and I read the signs, you know, never again, over and over and over.

And finally, the sun came out, you know, strange.

And it hit me on my back and kind of pushed me through the gate.

And I said, girl, open the gate and go in.

And I did.

I said, to my father I said, you told me you need witnesses to tell what happened.

I am here to tell you, I haven't forgotten.

I want you to know, all of you.

I, you know, I felt such an energy around me.

I felt that I was surrounded by everyone from, from whoever I knew, our town or the towns place.

I said I'm glad that you waited for me.

I came, and I promise you will never, ever be forgotten, as long as I live.

And if possible, even after I am gone, you will be remembered.

[somber music] ♪ let's us pose in life's pleasures ♪ ♪ and count as many tears ♪ ♪ while we all sob sorrow with [indistinct] ♪ ♪ there's a song that will linger ♪ ♪ forever in our ears ♪ ♪ the hard times come again no more ♪ ♪ 'tis the song ♪ ♪ the sigh of the weary ♪ ♪ oh hard times come again no more ♪ ♪ for many day you have lingered ♪ ♪ around my cabin door ♪ ♪ hard times ♪ ♪ come again no more ♪ ♪ [humming] ♪ ♪ as we seek more through beauty ♪ ♪ and music light again ♪ ♪ there are frail forms waiting ♪ ♪ at the door ♪ ♪ the voices of silence, ♪ ♪ they're fading looks will say ♪ ♪ oh hard times come again no more ♪ ♪ 'tis the song ♪ ♪ the sigh of the weary ♪ ♪ oh hard times ♪ ♪ come again no more ♪ ♪ for many days you have lingered ♪ ♪ around my cabin door ♪ ♪ hard times come again ♪ ♪ no more ♪ [guitar playing] ♪ is the song the sigh ♪ ♪ of the weary ♪ ♪ oh hard times come again no more ♪ ♪ for many days you have lingered ♪ ♪ around my cabin door ♪ ♪ hard times come around no ♪ ♪ more ♪ ♪ hard times come around ♪ ♪ no more ♪ [slow music]