History

The Brandeis-Bardin Campus is as much a feeling as it is a place. Located in Brandeis, California – right outside of Simi Valley – and committed to the artistic, cultural, intellectual and environmental pursuits of the Jewish people, the campus strives to ‘touch and teach’ every individual who comes down Peppertree Lane.

The Brandeis Camp Institute was named to honor our nation’s first Jewish Supreme Court Justice, Louis D. Brandeis, and in 1947, Brandeis Camp Institute purchased 2,200 acres of land in the foothills of the Santa Susana mountains (now Simi Valley) in California. To Dr. Bardin, the rolling hills on the property were reminiscent of the Judean Hills outside of Jerusalem.

The name of the Institute was changed to The Brandeis-Bardin Institute in August 1977, to honor the memory of its founder, Dr. Shlomo Bardin. Known today as the Brandeis-Bardin Campus of the American Jewish University, it is believed to be the largest parcel of land owned by a Jewish community institution outside the State of Israel.

The Brandeis-Bardin campus is home to the beloved Camp Alonim, the Ziering Brandeis Collegiate Institute, and a comprehensive conference and events center. The campus offers unique spaces for lifecycle events such as b’nai mitzvot and Jewish weddings, religious and educational retreats and conferences.