I Went to a Summer Camp for Jewish Artists and it was Unbelievable
Campers in prayer, 1970. Image courtesy American Jewish University.
Marco, my Italian cross-bearing Uber driver, had many questions about my life when he picked me up from West Hollywood. I’m pretty used to a fair share of looks when I travel; I’m a visibly Jewish 20-something year old with a bright kippah srugah nestled on a thick, curly mullet. Anywhere outside of my kooky pocket of lower Manhattan, I stand out like a sore thumb.
Marco, though, wasn’t curious about my theological standings or sociocultural background. He was asking me questions about my destination.
I told him he was driving me to Jewish summer camp. He laughed, “So that’s what that is.” Marco was a 10 year resident of Simi Valley, California who always heard murmurs about a Jewish Summer Camp just a drive into the hills. On the map, the 2,200 acre Brandeis-Bardin Campus is technically its own municipality, geographically termed as “Brandeis” on Google Maps (Not to be confused with Brandeis University, a secular Jewish college in Massachusetts).
Israeli Folk Dancing outside the “House of the Book”
What I didn’t tell Marco is that BCI, or the “Brandeis Camp Institute,” was not an ordinary Jewish summer camp. While it shares its campus with Camp Alonim, a more run-of-the-mill children’s camp, BCI is anything but ordinary.
Brandeis was created as a unique ‘laboratory for living Judaism’—where Judaism is explored through innovative forms, including the arts, by Jews in their 20s.
It was founded by Dr. Shlomo Bardin, with the support of Louis D. Brandeis –the first Jewish Supreme Court Justice– in 1941. Dr. Bardin believed the land bore a striking resemblance to the hills outside of Jerusalem.
He was absolutely right —I felt it the moment we passed through the camp gates.
Peppertree Lane, Brandeis, CA.
Marco dropped me off about an hour late. He was an expert schmoozer, and he seemed to care less about arriving on time. At this point, I totally missed orientation. I dropped my bags, and Rabbi Myra, the program director, walked me into the current activity– an Israeli Folk dancing class. As we danced to Ofra Haza and Sherry on auditorium speakers, I knew this was going to be very different from any camp I’ve been to.
The first full day at BCI felt like waking up in a different realm. The sun crept over the hills, striking rays through the stained bunk windows, and at 7:30 AM, I joined the Z'man Ruchani. Some days, this morning spiritual practice was a physical one; we stretched and bent in yoga, the crisp air punctuated by our synchronized breathing. Other days, we wandered the camp’s rugged trails, engaging in Hitbodedut—a silent Hassidic meditation amidst the rustling leaves and chirping birds. The mornings felt more like a spiritual retreat center in Israel than a summer camp in southern California.
Campers dancing in the fields, by Gene Lester, 1948. Image courtesy American Jewish University.
Not all of our activities were so serene. The Avodah at 9:30 AM tossed me into the heart of the camp’s daily rhythm. One morning, I scooped up horse manure, feeling oddly at peace with the simplicity of the task. Another day, I stood elbow-deep in compost bins, stirring the remnants of our previous meals into rich, dark soil. These acts, though humble, were threaded with conversations about Jewish regenerative traditions that connect us to the land.
I spent the early afternoons in the Beit Midrash. Led by Liana Wertman, founder of Torah Studio, our chavrutas were engaging, often extending beyond the scheduled times into meals. Liana facilitated intense conversations with a gentle hand, guiding us through complex passages and encouraging us to explore the texts.
Our discussions swelled with intensity; we dissected ideas like surgeons, centering me back to my time in Yeshiva.
Morning Prayers, 1984. Via American Jewish University.
After centering the mind, body, and soul, the late afternoons were filled with arts workshops. I enrolled in the music track, led by the brilliant musician Jared Stein, although there were also options in performance and visual arts. As a graphic designer with some acting experience from high school, I seized this opportunity to step outside my comfort zone. My last foray into music was a short-lived attempt at piano during an after-school program.
Music has always been a profound influence on my creative endeavors, driving much of my work, albeit primarily through curation and critique. This workshop presented an incredible chance to engage hands-on with instruments and vocals in a supportive, explorative setting.
It was akin to a sophisticated, educational twist on the typical camp music room, where openness was married with a structured, academic approach.
Each day concluded with either Israeli Folk dancing, led by Aki Yonekawa, or a Jewish song circle. The daily camp schedule was uniquely tailored for immersive engagement with Jewish practices in an authentic, innovatively holistic manner. During free time, I learned in the Beis with other participants, and sketched some of the campground’s nature. Rabbi Myra actually spurred my interest in Hebrew calligraphy, offering to give me a personal lesson in sofrut (Jewish scribal arts) one afternoon.
Anyone familiar with Jewish summer camps knows that Shabbat casts a spell over the grounds.
Like the original Havurah movement, a Jewish countercultural group of the early 60s, BCI begins Kabbalat Shabbat a bit early, using acoustic instruments in some of the traditional prayers. On a hilltop overlooking the entire campus, we sang Lecha Dodi as the Shabbat sun began to set. Once we were ready for Maariv, everyone was encouraged to daven the personal Amidah prayer within their own space, wandering as far as they wished. Recalling my days in Yeshiva, where I learned that we are meant to pray within our own four amos during Shemoneh Esrei, I experienced the most peaceful Kabbalat Shabbat of my life.
1960. They still have the same sign up every Shabbat. Via American Jewish University.
I’ve enrolled in five Jewish summer camps in my life before BCI. I’ve experienced everything from the more woodsy, religous-zionist camps, to the athletic Yeshiva League types. I went on a traveling modern orthodox camp in the West Coast, and spent my early summers at a Yeshivish day camp in Queens. Still, amongst all Jewish summer programs I’ve experienced, none of them fostered the same environment as BCI.
