- Brandeis-Bardin Institute
Now the Brandeis-Bardin Campus of
American Jewish University , thisJewish retreat in Simi Valley was formerly the "Brandeis-Bardin Institute". It is known for its nondenominational summer programs for children, teens and young adults.History
The Brandeis-Bardin Institute was founded by Shlomo Bardin inspired by the ideals of the early
Zionist movement and the ideas and financial support of JusticeLouis Brandeis . The institute branched out into a program for college aged Jews called the Brandeis Collegiate Institute, and a summer camp called Alonim.Many greats got their starts at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute including Rabbi
Zalman Schachter-Shalomi the founder of Renewal Judaism, RabbiShlomo Carlebach , and served as the springboard for the American Israeli Folk Dance movement started by Dani Dassa and continued by his son David Dassa. In the 1970s RabbisAbraham Joshua Heschel andMordecai Kaplan frequented the institute. Later onRabbi Joseph Telushkin would lead a weekly Torah discussion at the House of the Book at the Brandeis Bardin Institute andDennis Prager [ [http://www.lukeford.net/Dennis/indexp2.html Dennis Prager Biography ] ] would be among the many leaders of the Institute. The Brandeis Bardin Institute is also the largest piece of Jewishly owned land outside of the land of Israel.Shlomo Bardin ran the Institute until 1976. He is buried on the grounds of the Brandeis Bardin Institute.
In March
2007 , officials from both the "Brandeis-Bardin Institute" and the "University of Judaism ", a non-denominational institution of higher education offering undergraduate and graduate degrees along with a rabbinical studies program located in Bel Air, announced they would merge into a new organization calledAmerican Jewish University .In the 1950s, BBI was known as Brandeis Camp Institute (BCI); Shlomo Bardin was the Director.
Filming locations
The futuristic architecture of the campus's "House of the Book", designed by architect
Sidney Eisenshtat , has appeared as a location in several film and television projects:
* Camp Khitomer in ""
* Lore's Borg compound in the "" episode "Descent"
* TheCommand Center andPower Chamber for "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ", ', and '
* "The Lawnmower Man"
* Marilyn Manson's video for "The Dope Show "
* Chris Brown's video for "Wall to Wall "
* The Rock & Roll History Museum in "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny "
* The rear of the building (and surrounding vegetation) was featured in a recentLexus commercial.
* Exterior and outside (around the grounds) of the House of Book and the institute were used for Mystery Woman: Vision of a Murder.
* The prison Camp Holliday in the movie Wedlock withRutger Hauer .References
ee also
External links
* [http://www.thebbi.org/index.htm The Official website for the Brandeis-Bardin Institute]
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