BCI Celebrates 85 Years of Jewish Learning, Community and Connection

For generations of Jewish young adults, the Ziering Brandeis Camp Institute (BCI) has offered a place to explore Jewish identity, challenge assumptions and forge friendships that endure long after the summer ends.

That legacy was on display October 24-25, when American Jewish University celebrated BCI’s 85th anniversary with “BCI at 85,” a weekend of gatherings that brought together alumni from across the program’s history. About 117 people attended a Havdalah and dessert reception Saturday evening at Leo Baeck Temple in Los Angeles, followed by a Sunday anniversary brunch on AJU’s Brandeis-Bardin Campus that drew approximately 130 attendees.

“There are many ways of Jewish being, many ways of expressing one’s Jewishness, and BCI has always been about validating different ways of what Judaism looks like,” said Arthur Pinchev, whose career has been deeply intertwined with the Brandeis-Bardin Campus. “BCI is this platform where all those different expressions are given validity. There is a magic to this place.”

The Saturday evening reception featured a drash led by Rabbi Jonathan Bernhard, a klezmer performance and a Havdalah ceremony that included Pinchev among its leaders. The gathering set the tone for a weekend centered on the people and experiences that have made BCI a fixture of Jewish communal life since its founding in 1941.

On Sunday, alumni returned to the Brandeis-Bardin Campus in Brandeis, California, where BCI has been held for decades. After catching up over coffee, attendees participated in breakout workshops featuring dance, music and Jewish learning, along with a tour of the grounds.

The day continued with a brunch program featuring AJU President and CEO Jay Sanderson and Alissa David, the university’s director of alumni engagement, also a BCI alumna. Three guest speakers offered perspectives on BCI’s influence across generations: Fred Wapner, whose late father, Judge Joseph Wapner of “The People’s Court,” served as chairman of the Brandeis-Bardin Institute; author and psychologist Elisha Goldstein, who attended BCI in 1999; and Adira Rosen, a third-generation BCI participant who attended in 2021.

For Goldstein, his time at BCI came at a moment when he was searching for direction. The son of a rabbi, he was living in San Francisco, working hard and playing harder, and had drifted somewhat from his Jewish roots when a relative encouraged him to attend the program.

At 25, Goldstein arrived skeptical. He left with what he described as a renewed connection to Judaism.

“It was one of my more life-pivoting moments. Period,” Goldstein said. “To me, it was a bit about timing. I did walk in very skeptical. It was suggested for me to go. I was a too-cool for-school kid.”

BCI, he said, gave him room to question his assumptions, engage in conversations about Jewish life and express himself creatively.

“It gave me the freedom to challenge my beliefs, to have conversations and discussions and to express myself creatively and give myself space and learn more about my connection to Judaism,” he said.

That freedom to explore Jewish identity has been central to BCI since educator Shlomo Bardin founded the program in 1941 as a laboratory for living Judaism. Held each summer on AJU’s Brandeis-Bardin Campus, BCI brings together Jewish adults in their 20s for an immersive residential experience. Over 85 years, it has reached more than 12,000 participants from 39 countries.

For some attendees, the anniversary weekend marked a return to a campus they had not visited in years. Others, including Jewish communal professionals who regularly come for retreats and professional development, were more familiar with the grounds. But the gathering offered alumni an opportunity to revisit the experiences that helped shape their Jewish lives.

Rabbi Gordon Bernat-Kunin, known affectionately as Rabbi BK, attended BCI in 1984. Today, he serves as rabbinic director at Milken Community School.

“The experience was incredibly formative for me,” Bernat-Kunin said. “I don’t think I would be doing what I’m doing if not for BCI.”

Aaron Kaplan, who attended BCI in 2005 after growing up as both a camper and staff member at AJU’s Camp Alonim, recalled arriving nervous about the experience. By the end, he had found a community of like-minded young Jews and developed a deeper appreciation for Jewish teachings.

“I just remember being super nervous about it on day-one, but by the end of the experience, I had a dozen or so new friends as well as this newfound appreciation for Jewish teachings,” Kaplan said.

Rabbi Joshua Katzan, who attended BCI in the 1980s, also described the experience as a turning point. After completing his undergraduate studies at California State University, Northridge, he returned to his family home, dropped off his belongings and left for BCI the following day. He now serves as senior rabbi at Mishkon Tephilo.

“I finished college and the next day, I left for BCI,” Katzan recalled. “It was wild. But it was also an extremely spiritual, intellectual and artistic experience. I’m grateful for the time I had here.”

The anniversary weekend concluded with music and dancing led by musician Jared Stein and artist Elisha Schaefer, bringing alumni together in a celebration that reflected the program’s blend of Jewish learning, creativity and community.

For Sanderson, the milestone offered an opportunity to honor BCI’s history while looking ahead to its future.

“BCI is one of the Jewish community’s premier legacy programs, and reaching this 85-year milestone is an extraordinary achievement,” Sanderson said. “For generations, BCI has helped young Jewish adults discover the joy of living Jewishly while preparing them to take on Jewish leadership roles.”

David likewise credited the alumni committee, whose members represented BCI participants from the 1950s through the 2000s, with helping bring the weekend together.

“Their commitment, energy and love for BCI are a testament to the extraordinary bonds this program creates,” David said. “This weekend belongs to all of them and to the countless people whose lives have been changed by BCI.”

Eighty-five years after its founding, BCI continues to bring together Jews with different backgrounds, perspectives and relationships to Jewish life. For the alumni who returned to celebrate, the weekend was a reminder that the experience’s impact often extends far beyond the time spent on campus.