BCI - Brandeis Camp Institute

Last night was full of celebration! 🎨📝🎶🕺

At the end of each summer, BCI’ers share the incredible pieces they’ve been creating in their arts workshops. This year was no exception, with four fantastic sharings from visual arts, creative writing, music, and dance!

The walls of the BCI Beit Midrash know no bounds! 🌳📚
No matter where you are in your Jewish journey, our fantastic educators are here to guide and support your Jewish learning! We are so lucky to get to learn from such incredible Jewish educators.

Staff week has begun and Peppertree Lane is already full of music and joy! We are so excited to welcome our newest BCI’ers in just a few days!

Follow along for more BCI summer 2024 content!

On Shavuot, we celebrate receiving the Torah at Mt. Sinai. At BCI we celebrate receiving Torah in everyday moments!

What Torah did you learn at BCI? Drop it in the comments!

🎨 As we count down the days till BCI let’s get to know some of our fantastic BCI staff! 📚

What’s the Brandeis Camp Institute without a little camp?!

Summers at BCI are spent engaging in self-reflection and deep learning but we never shy away from being seriously silly!

Overheard in the BCI Beit Midrash! 📚

Jewish learning has always been a central part of the BCI experience. Whether you’re brand new to Hebrew or a major Gemara nerd, the doors to our Beit Midrash are open to you! Apply at the link in our bio!

🎶 “The day is done. The dance goes on...” 🎶

Rikud (dance) has long been a centerpiece of summers at BCI! Comment your favorite BCI dance below!

Each Passover we ask four questions. At BCI we ask, “Who do you want to be?”

We invite you to ask yourself that fifth question this Passover season…

✨New look, new name! BCI’s rebrand is all about becoming who WE were meant to be, so we can help you do the same.

Since 1941 we’ve been singing our hearts out in sunny Southern California. Come find your voice at BCI! 🎶

Accepting applications for summer 2024! For more info and to fill out an application, click the link in our bio.

Dreaming of summer in Southern California? 🌞 There’s still time to apply for one of our summer programs!

We’ve extended the early bird discount through Monday, April 1. For more info and to fill out an application, click the link in our bio.

The early bird discount for our Southern California retreat ends Monday, March 18th! Head to our website to reserve your spot and begin to build your community with other Jewish young adults from around the world.

Dear BCI Community,

Words fail inside of a moment so deeply heartbreaking. War has the capacity to color every moment, whether it be at the forefront of thought, or hovering in the background of the more mundane moments of life, which does, somehow, continue on. There is little that can be said or done that might bring about comfort or relief. We are suffering, those we love are suffering, there is more pain than places to put it, and the future is thick with uncertainty.

Our community is blessed by our ongoing connection with the Israeli people - most notably through our incredible alumni, those born there and those who’ve made their home in Israel through aliyah. It has been so heartwarming to see the ways that various BCI aliyot have reached out to each other - to check on their safety, both physical and mental; to keep one another informed; to share messages of love and support.

To our Israeli alumni, know that we are with you - watching and praying intently, for your safety and security, for a swift end to this unfolding terror.

To our entire BCI community across the world, there is no “right” way to move through a moment such as this. Remember this as you hold yourself and as you hold those around you. We all are sitting inside of tragedy, and each of us will need differently.

Some might turn to prayer, some to action, to protest, to political analysis, some to processing through art, or conversation, or writing a post. Some might choose to detach, while others may need to collect information. There is no “right” way to move through a moment such as this. The actions of those around you might offer guidance, but ultimately, ask your own heart what it feels and what might help that particular emotion move through your body.

Or perhaps, ground yourself in a comforting image of a safe place. Close your eyes and imagine the sound of your feet walking on Peppertree Lane. Watch as the light dances through the branches of the low-hanging peppertrees. Bring to mind the faces beside you as you ascend the stairs to the Rotunda. What song is gently strummed on guitar as you enter that holy space? Feel the invitation of arms around your shoulders, holding you, comforting you. Feel the song rise up in your chest, the words that call out to be sung into being.

Each BCI Aliyah fills the Rotunda with a unique sound, and for our most recent alumni, BCI Aliyah 2023, the following song (https://youtu.be/zlRKcwM9tVs?si=znLx4in-By-34fLh) became a meaningful and empowering mantra for singing our strength into the world:

וַאָנִי אָשִיר עֻזֶך ָוַאֲרָנֵן לַבוֹקֶר חֲסְדֶך כִּי הָיִיתָ מִסְגָב לִי וּמָנוֹס בְּיוֹם צָר לִי עֻזִי אֵלֶיךָ אֲזַמֵרָ
Va’ani ashir uzekha, va’aranein labokeir hasdekha, ki hayita misgav li, u’manos l’yom tzar li. U*i eileikhah azamerirah.

But I will sing Your strength, my voice shall burst forth in the morning in praise of your lovingkindness, for You have been my haven and my refuge in my time of distress. O my strength, I will sing. - Psalm 59: 17-18

G-d’s strength can be found in our song. As our voices rise, they have the capacity to hold, even for a moment, all that might feel heavy. You can sing in strength, you can sing for strength, or, as ever, you can listen and let go, release, knowing you are held by a melody which will not let you fall.

As fellow BCIers, we may not know each other, we may never interface, but we carry in our hearts a shared ideal of what community at its best can offer us: safety, love, support, knowing that we matter.

Our strength is in our song, and BCI’s song is one of love at the center.

We invite you to sing your strength into this collective space, whether by sharing a favorite Rotunda video or audio clip, a link to a song, or even your own voice recording of a song that is giving you strength in this moment.

In love and in prayer,
R’ Myra and Michelle
BCI Director and Assistant Director

If we allow ourselves to be truly seen this Yom Kippur, flaws and all, what might we discover? Perhaps that we all feel pain and disappointment. That we’re all striving for something. That we are much more similar than we appear…“how deeply we’re connected in our souls.” .center

Shanah tovah to our BCI family all over the world! As we enter this New Year, we’re reflecting on the incredible summer we had with BCI Aliyah 2023. You inspired us with your creativity, vulnerability, and openness to transformation. As we enter these Days of Awe, remember the power of this community: reach out to someone who needs a witness to the work of their heart, join voices in song as if you were in the rotunda, go out in nature for a moment of reflection as if you were in the outdoor prayer space. Reignite your BCI spark and share it with those around you. ❤️🔥

Mazel tov BCI alumni Shoshana Nambi (BCI 2012) and Gabe Miner (BCI 2013) on their masters degrees from HUC-JIR (one year til ordination! 🥳) pictured with special graduation guest, former BCI Assistant Director Amanda Sissman 🥰 We love to see the ways BCI alumni go out into the Jewish world and make a difference! Not pictured is Sarah Nabaggala (BCI 2013) who received her masters in Jewish education 🎓 Join us in celebrating our alumni in the comments below!

Happy Passover and Chag Sameach! As we physically prepare for the holiday, Rabbi Myra Meskin shares some insightful thoughts on how we can spiritually celebrate Passover through self-reflection.

"Chametz is an odd concept – it’s like having a temporary allergy. Something that the rest of the year is completely permissible to us, is rendered for eight days as the most dangerous thing to our spiritual lives. Rabbi Yisrael of Koznitz says that chametz – the food that we don’t eat on Pesach, that we don’t even see or own – is not only physical, but spiritual. In the spiritual realm, chametz is the yetzer harah, the evil inclination. And while we have a tendency to think of the yetzer harah as all bad, the rabbis believe it can actually be a force for good, the problem with the yetzer harah is that if left unchecked, it can spiral out of control and lead us down a bad path.

Think about it this way: matzah and chametz have the same ingredients, the difference between them is that chametz has literally become inflated – there’s too much of it – like dough that rises, or like confidence that turns to arrogance.

At BCI we’re given a gift: time set aside to reflect on who we are and who we’re striving to become. But it’s not a one-time gift, it’s a muscle we can exercise again and again. This Pesach, I want to invite us to make time for reflection, for identifying a trait of ours that if left unchecked can lead us to damaging behavior. In what way can I distance myself from this trait, this spiritual chametz, for these eight days, like I distance myself from literal chametz? What new behavior might I try on? So may it be a season of renewal and rebirth.

Chag Sameach – Happy Passover!"

The tradition of wearing white on Shabbat has been a part of BCI since the very beginning! Wearing white is one of the ways we shift our consciousness from “the world of creation to the creation of the world.” From noticing our individual uniqueness to noticing our shared goals and joys. With the help of song, dance, and relaxation, Shabbat is a special time for everyone at BCI to take a collective breath and celebrate being together.

Can you guess which decade of BCI this is from? Tell us in the comments below!

Explore your Jewish identity and make friends for a lifetime at BCI! We've extended the early bird discount rate for the 2023 BCI 26-Day program until APRIL 17. Spread the word to family and friends so nobody misses this great deal of only $450 for a magical summer at BCI. Go to AJU.EDU/BCI for more info and to apply today.

Don't miss out on the early bird rate for BCI summer 2023. BCI brings together young Jewish adults from all over the world to engage in Jewish learning, arts, culture, and an exploration of community and self. Apply now for a $450 early bird rate. After you apply, start building your BCI community by spreading the word to friends and family. We can’t wait to experience it with you! AJU.EDU/BCI (link in bio)

This Valentine's Day we'd like to share with you a very special love story that started at BCI one summer 33 years ago...

Elizabeth, from Southern California, and Gerald, from New York, arrived at BCI with little clue as to how their summer would unfold. Elizabeth, a camper and counselor that attended Alonim, went to BCI in hopes of working her way up the camp ladder as a Jewish community professional.

In the summer of ’89, Elizabeth met a fellow staffer from MIT and promptly called her bubbie to let her know she met a nice Jewish boy from New York. After a summer of Israeli dancing, quiet walks on the high road Havdalah ceremonies, and Shabbat dinners, Elizabeth and Gerald took the plunge and continued their relationship long-distance while she was an undergrad and Gerald was a graduate student at Harvard.

After deciding they were all in, she eventually moved to Boston for grad school so the two could be close. Three kids and 33 years later, empty nesters Elizbeth and Gerald are more in love than ever and have instilled the Jewish values they learned many summers ago into their children who are now young adults. When they celebrate Shabbat, they still bless their children from afar, and reflect on the values of family, community, and connection, remembering where they started as they look to the future.

Chag shameach, BCIers! Today is Tu Bishvat, the New Year of the trees. Let us rejoice in the beauty of the world and find time to give something back to nature.
What are you doing for Tu Bishvat and the trees this year?

BCIers know there's nothing quite like fresh homemade challah on Shabbat! Look below ⬇️ for Grandma Bea's simple challah recipe, used every week at BCI. Do you make challah at home? Share your baking tips for making the perfect braided loaf! Shabbat Shalom.

1 packet yeast
1 cup of water
½ cup of sugar
2 ½ Tbsp oil
2 eggs
1 tsp salt
4 cups of flour

Mix. Knead. Rise. Braid. Bake.
350 degrees, 25-30 min

What do you do after a summer at BCI sparks a love of music? Plan a reunion with your fellow alumni, like these 2022 BCIers in NYC at Hadar's Rising Song Institute!

This is what one of them had to say about seeing their fellow BCIers again: “Reuniting with dear friends from BCI felt like coming home. And joining together in song reminded us how strong and special our bond will always be. No matter how much space or time passed between us, the magic of BCI ignited our hearts as we held hands around a flame, once again.”

Building on the success of over 80 summers of BCI, this year we’re excited to launch a 10-day immersive BCI experience for college students! Each day will include time for art, learning, and most importantly tending to self-care. Create community in the joyful setting of a Jewish summer camp.

Learn more at aju.edu/bciexperience and apply today!

If you can believe it, it's Shabbat once again! We're sharing love, happiness, and smiles with everyone this weekend.

Liz F, a BCI alumni from 2022, reflects on her experience at BCI, how she's grown, and what she has incorporated from her learnings into her life.

“After spending a month at BCI, I got back in touch with my emotionally raw self. I learned SO MUCH about Judaism. I converted! I learned new ways to prepare for Shabbat (decorating table, re-inspired to bake challah weekly); songs, new grounding techniques, vulnerability, dance, perspectives with which to read Torah.”