Dr. Shlomo Bardin, with the support of Louis D. Brandeis, established the Brandeis Camp Institute (BCI) in 1941. BCI, named after the first Jewish United States Supreme Court Justice, was not just another Jewish institution. It was a unique ‘laboratory for living Judaism’—a place where the exploration and practice of Judaism took on a new, innovative form.
In 1947, BCI’s next chapter began with purchasing 2,200 acres of land outside Simi Valley, California. Dr. Bardin noted that the land bore a striking resemblance to the hills outside Jerusalem. In 2009, the Marilyn and Sigi Ziering family, recognizing the institute’s growth and potential, endowed BCI to become the Marilyn and Sigi Ziering Brandeis Collegiate Institute.