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.