CARMA grew out of a partnership between Marlboro Jewish Center and the Ferencz Institute for Ethics, Human Rights and the Holocaust, founded by Dr. Stacy Gallin. In March, 2024, concerned about the increase in antisemitism in the community, they launched the Center to Combat Antisemitism (CCA). In October 2024, with the rising need to expand the reach and impact of its work, including to address both antisemitism and all forms of identity-based hate, CCA joined with Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey — which had also been engaged in similar work — to scale efforts across Monmouth and Middlesex counties and beyond. The Center to Combat Antisemitism and Reinforce Multicultural Acceptance — CARMA — emerged to meet this universal need here at home.
Goals:
Provide educational resources and programming to the community to help identify and combat antisemitism and all identity-based hate
Develop and share best practices for how to process and respond to hate based incidents in our community
Foster relationships between major stakeholders, including students, educational administrators, teachers, and community leaders that result in respectful dialogue that promotes tolerance and multicultural acceptance
Provide leadership skills training to help teens strengthen their sense of self and empower them to respond to the unique challenges they face today regarding antisemitism and other forms of identity-based hate
Offer support to people who are struggling with a variety of emotions during this unprecedented rise in local and global antisemitism and identity-based hate
Ensure that the lessons of the Holocaust and what can happen when antisemitism is left unchecked serve as a guiding force for society
CARMA has become the primary resource for the local community when dealing with antisemitic incidents. This is largely due to our focus on providing proactive guidance, support and education in a positive manner without any type of political agenda. Because we are aware of the pervasiveness of antisemitism, we aim to work in partnership with those who need help rather than placing blame or publicly defaming individuals or organizations. Our goal is to serve as role models for the type of respectful collaboration that can help unify our society, rather than divide us.
Programs to Date
March-May 2024: Standing Up to Antisemitism 5-Session Seminar for Grades 8-12. The goal of this program was to help give Jewish students the resources they need to combat antisemitism in high school, college and beyond. Upon successful completion of the program, students received a Standing Up to Antisemitism Ambassador Certificate.
April 2024: CCA Digital Hotline- Developed an online platform/portal to provide help reporting incidents, clergy care, mental health referrals and educational resources
May 2024: Created internships for three high school students who completed our Standing Up to Antisemitism Seminar and were interested in becoming more involved
June 2024: Organized a trip for 70 people to visit the NOVA Music Festival exhibit in NYC and hear testimony from a survivor of the Hamas attack
June 2024: Facilitated meetings with the Marlboro Board of Education, Superintendent, and Principal of Marlboro Middle School as well as the family of a student who experienced antisemitism in the school to discuss how to respond to not only that particular incident but also how to develop proactive educational programming to prevent future incidents from occurring
June 2024: Organized meeting with Vin Gopal, State Senate Education Chairman, students and families of those who have been affected by antisemitism in local schools to discuss their experiences and formulate a plan for how to incorporate antisemitism training into the NJ school curriculum
July 2024: Met with the Superintendent and Assistant of the Freehold Regional High School District to respond to an antisemitic incident that took place at Manalapan High School graduation and discuss methods that are in place to prevent future incidents and educational programming/training that could be incorporated into the district
August 2024: Presented The Current State of Antisemitism on Campus, an interactive program for incoming college freshmen to prepare them for potential issues they might encounter as they enter college and offer guidance and support
August 2024: Led three hour-long antisemitism training sessions for Marlboro K-8 Superintendent, Assistant Superintendent and Board of Education members
Fall 2024: Presented workshops on antisemitism for Marlboro Professional Development Teacher Ed Camp
Fall 2024: Mini-course on “Standing Up to Antisemitism” for 8th graders
Fall 2024: Lecture and Book Signing with Alex Kor, son of Holocaust survivors Eva and Mickey Kor, who wrote a book, “A Blessing, Not a Burden” about the importance of using the lessons of the Holocaust to combat antisemitism