American Jewish University

American Jewish University

Motto	Education demands innovation...
Type	Private
Established	1947
Endowment	$100 Million (2020)
President	Jeffrey Herbst
Location	Bel-Air, Los Angeles , California , USA
Campus	Urban
Website	www.aju.edu

American Jewish University (AJU), formerly the separate institutions University of Judaism and Brandeis-Bardin Institute, is a Jewish institution in Los Angeles, California.

Its largest component is its Whizin Center for Continuing Education in which 12,000 students are enrolled annually in non-credit granting courses. Classes, lectures, author events, concerts and performances are offered daytime and evening for all ages of the community. Whizin houses the Maven platform, which is an immersive and experiential digital learning platform elevates the voices and captures insights of guest speakers and AJU faculty, while advancing ideas, sparking dialogue, and igniting debate.

AJU's academic division offers graduate degrees through the School for Jewish Education and Leadership, the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, a Conservative Jewish rabbinical seminary, and the School of Enterprise Management and Social Impact. AJU is host to the Miller Introduction to Judaism Program, which prepares students to convert to Judaism and engages interfaith couples and families, as well as three "think tanks": the Institute on American Jewish-Israel Relations, and the Sigi Ziering Institute for Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust and the Center for Policy Options. At its Brandeis-Bardin Campus, the University oversees Camp Alonim, Gan Alonim Day Camp and the BCI Program.

American Jewish University (AJU) is a thriving center of Jewish resources and talent that serves the Jewish community of the twenty-first century. A portal for Jewish belonging, AJU equips students, faculty, campers, and learners of all ages with the tools to create the ideas, build the structures, and develop the programs to advance Jewish wisdom and elevate Jewish living.

History

The University of Judaism was founded in 1947. The spiritual founder was Dr. Mordecai Kaplan, a Jewish thinker and philosopher whose goal was to create an institution representing the diversity of Judaic expression in the United States. Another co-founder was Rabbi Jacob Pressman. Initially a project of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City and the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles, the UJ became an independent institution in the 1970s. It became officially non-denominational with the ascension to the presidency of Dr. Robert Wexler (1992-2018) at the beginning of his tenure. Dr. Wexler was preceded in the presidency by Dr. Simon Greenberg (1947–1963) and Dr. David Lieber (1963–1992). The current president is Dr. Jeffrey Herbst (2018–present).

In March 2007, officials from both the University of Judaism and the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, an education and camping organization in Simi Valley, announced the two parties would merge into a new organization called the American Jewish University.

Campus resources and facilities

The American Jewish University campus in Bel Air, California is home to the Ostrow Library, which contains over 120,000 volumes, electronic resources, and contains one of the West Coast's largest collections of Judaica. The campus also includes the Gindi Auditorium, a 475-seat theatre featuring concerts, celebrations, and other programs. The campus also includes dormitories and a recently completed student union with fitness facilities, a basketball court, and grass field.

American Jewish University's Brandeis-Bardin campus is located in Simi Valley, California and is home to Camp Alonim and the BCI Program, as well as "experiential learning" programs like the Jene Fellowship. The campus is also a retreat and conference center.

Art galleries

The Marjorie and Herman Platt Gallery and Borstein Art Gallery play host to many major exhibitions, both of Jewish and non-Jewish art. Past artists at the Platt Gallery have included David Hockney, Jim Dine and Frank Stella as well as works by the Gallery's donor, Herman Platt. The Smalley Sculpture Garden on the campus grounds has a collection that includes the work of well-known contemporary sculptors. Dedicated in 1981, the sculptures include works by Beverly Pepper, Sol LeWitt, George Rickey, Jenny Holzer, Anthony Caro and George Rickey. Another highlight of the beautiful grounds surrounding campus is the Smalley Family Sculpture Garden, featuring permanent installations of larger-scale sculptures.

Undergraduate study

The College of Arts and Sciences

American Jewish University, Bel Air

The College of Arts and Sciences was the program of undergraduate study at AJU. It was announced in October, 2018 that the university closed the undergraduate program.

The academic program itself at the College granted the Bachelor of Arts degree. The core curriculum provided foundational knowledge in the Liberal Arts with a focus on social justice and ethical leadership, consisting of the study of Western and Jewish civilization, psychology, sociology, science, math, writing, and public speaking. Several academic majors and minors were offered including:

Biology & Bioethics (including Pre-Med), Business Administration & Innovation, Jewish Studies, Media Arts, Politics & Global Studies, and Psychology

The College also permitted students to design individualized programs of study in consultation with their academic advisor. The College encouraged students to take leadership roles both on campus and in social, political, and religious work in the greater Los Angeles area.

Student life

The American Jewish University was home to an active undergraduate student life. Students were encouraged to participate in student organizations in order to enrich their undergraduate experience. If a student determined that an organization they might be interested in was not yet established, students were welcome to establish new clubs and receive funding based upon student support and need.

Student organizations included: the ASAJU (Student Government), Bio-Ethics Association, Hillel, Honor Society, Israel Action, Model United Nations, Political Science Association, Peer Mentoring Program, Psychology Association, Sports Club, and Tikkun Olam (Social Action).

Graduate study

The School for Jewish Education and Leadership

The School for Jewish Education and Leadership (SJEL) offers both full and part-time Master of Arts in Education ECE (MAEd ECE), and online Bachelor's completion in ECE program (BA ECE). In the fall of 2018, the School for Jewish Education and Learning launched a newly created opportunity for early childhood educators to earn a Master’s of Arts in Education in Early Childhood Education. By earning a Master’s degree, the early childhood educator will gain the knowledge and skills to elevate their contribution as educators in Jewish settings.  Using a cohort-based model, students come together to grow as educators. As students, they will acquire the skills to manage classrooms and centers, successfully work with families, incorporate Jewish learning, values and traditions, including elements of Torah and Mitzvot, into daily lesson plans, learn the strategies and tools to supervise teachers as ECE administrators and ultimately inspire young children to blossom.

The Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education seeks to elevate the knowledge, skills, and performance of the early childhood educator in Jewish educational settings. Using a cohort-based model, the Bachelor of Arts in Early Childhood Education will bring current early childhood educators together to grow as educators. This will include acquiring skills to manage classrooms and centers, successfully work with families, incorporate Torah, mitzvot (good deed) and traditions into daily lesson plans, and prepare for careers as teachers or administrators in Jewish early childhood settings.

In addition, SJEL offers various credentials and certificates, mentor-training programs, and continuing education extension program initiatives for experienced early childhood educators.

The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

Main article: Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies

In addition to Rabbinic ordination recognized by the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism, the Ziegler School offers programs culminating in the awarding of a Master of Arts in Rabbinic Studies. This degree may be combined with the M.A.Ed. or M.B.A. programs. The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies' mission is to foster an unprecedented blend of academic rigor, emotional warmth and openness, traditional and innovative spirit in the service of God, Torah, and Israel. The School fuses the methods and findings of the academic study of Judaism with the fervor and devotion of traditional study and observance. The School focuses on the journey of each rabbinical student to produce extraordinary rabbis to lead the Jewish people in a renaissance of talmud Torah (learning), shmirat mitzvot (observance), and gemillut hesed (acts of social justice and personal compassion). In this way, the School strengthens and energizes Conservative Judaism and Klal Yisrael. The Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies is dedicated to training a new cadre of Conservative rabbis who are deeply versed in Jewish texts, committed to a life of mitzvot and the love of God, and who are capable of transmitting the beauty and wisdom of Judaism to others.

School of Enterprise Management and Social Impact

The School of Enterprise Management and Social Impact (SEMSI) offers an online, asynchronous Master of Business Administration degree as well as a variety of business and nonprofit certificates for continuing education.

Continuing Education and Community Programs

AJU offers many programs of study through its Whizin Center for Continuing Education. These studies most often take the form of individual classes generally taken simply for personal enjoyment and edification. Classes are offered in language studies, Jewish studies, literature, fine arts, dance and fitness, performance arts, and other varied areas. One of its largest programs is the annual Public Lecture Series held at Universal Studios' Gibson Amphitheater and is attended by five to six thousand series ticket holders. Featured speakers have included President Bill Clinton, Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell, as well as Israeli Prime Ministers Ehud Barak and Shimon Peres.

Maven

In March of 2020, as the pandemic took hold of our local communities and safer-at-home orders were issued, American Jewish University shifted the delivery of their adult education and community programming to digital formats. Dedicated to providing Jewish learning to our communities, AJU understood the importance of showcasing original content that was not only easily accessible, but also fostered a sense of connection amidst the isolation that many faced. The result was B’Yachad Together: Spirited by American Jewish University. This immersive and experiential digital learning platform elevates the voices and captures insights of guest speakers and AJU faculty, while advancing ideas, sparking dialogue, and igniting debate.

The B’Yachad Together program grew and matured extending to all corners of the country and globe, and reinvented itself as Maven. Maven is currently accessed in all 50 states, as well as 45 countries, with an ever-expanding footprint in both name and vision. Maven is in connection with AJU’s legacy programs in the Whizin Center for Continuing Education and at Arts @ AJU. Maven aims to build community and bring Jewish wisdom to the world in the hopes of helping people better understand themselves, their community, and the world around them.

Notable speakers on the platform have included Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Julia Haart of Netflix's My Unorthodox Life, actress and TV personality Mayim Bialik, Award-winning author Anita Diamant, Former Shin Bet Director, Knesset and Cabinet Member Ami Ayalon, National Director and CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Jonathan Greenblatt, His Excellency Omar Saif Ghobash the UAE Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy, Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Former Israeli Ambassador to the US and acclaimed author Michael Oren, NY Times journalists Nellie Bowles and Bari Weiss, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Polish Ambassador to the US Marek Magierowski, and Darrell Blocker.

The Ziering Brandeis Collegiate Institute (BCI)

The Ziering Brandeis Collegiate Institute (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. Known today as the Marilyn and Sigi Ziering Brandeis Collegiate Institute, BCI is an intensive experience in Jewish learning, arts, culture, and community offered every summer to Jewish young adults from around the world, ages 20 to 29. It combines programmatic concepts adapted from Danish Folk High School (expressing one’s identity and culture through the creative arts) and the Israeli Kibbutz (the dignity of physical labor and sharing responsibility for the community) set in the context of the American recreational summer camp. Justice Brandeis referred to it as "a laboratory for living Judaism." BCI is a 26-day exploration of self and Judaism within a safe, pluralistic community, bringing together young Jews from all over the world with some of our people’s most compelling, talented scholars and artists to experience the multifaceted aspects of Jewish life and culture.

Community Mikvah

Since 1981, the AJU Community Mikvah has been a vital part of the Jewish life of Southern California. The Mikvah was built under the supervision of Rabbi Ben Zion Bergman z”l, a worldwide recognized authority in the halakha (Jewish law) of mikvah construction. As the only pluralistic mikvah in the Pacific Southwest, we welcome Jews of all denominations, from the Bay Area to Mexico, to come and immerse.

The AJU Community Mikvah sees well over a thousand visitors annually, who seek spiritual renewal and a deeper connection. We are particularly proud to be the region’s central hub for conversion to Judaism, partnering with both the Rabbinical Assembly Bet Din and the Sandra Caplan Community Bet Din, and welcoming hundreds of newcomers to the Jewish people each year. We also host many group tours and classes, for both children and adults, who come to learn about this profound tradition.

Our Community Mikvah’s ethos is deeply rooted in the Jewish values of kavod and hachnasat orchim, respect and the warm welcoming of visitors of all walks of life. We are dedicated to making this ancient ritual accessible and meaningful to all modern Jews, including those just now becoming Jewish, regardless of one’s age, affiliation, gender, sexual orientation, or background.

Camp Alonim

The Brandeis-Bardin campus is home to the beloved Camp Alonim and founded in 1953. Camp Alonim was created to be a laboratory for living Judaism – an environment where campers could experience Judaism in everything they do and could experiment with their Judaism in new ways. Alonim ensures that campers experience the vibrancy of Jewish life every day through music, Israeli dance, sports, arts and crafts, nature, and social action. Campers are able to experience new things, build skills, make lasting friendships, explore, and have pure fun.

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Notable faculty and staff

• Rabbi Robert Wexler, Ph.D. (President Emeritus and Lou and Irma Colen Distinguished Service Lecturer In Bible)
• David Lieber, D.H.L. (President Emeritus)
• Bradley Shavit Artson (Vice President and Dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies)
• Aryeh Cohen (Professor of Rabbinic Literature)
• Elliot Dorff, Ph.D. (Rector and Distinguished Professor of Jewish Philosophy)
• Zvi Dershowitz (Rabbi Emeritus of Sinai Temple, Los Angeles)
• Michael Berenbaum (Director, Sigi Ziering Institute and Professor)
• Maurice Ascalon (Faculty, School of Fine Arts, University of Judaism)

See also

• List of colleges and universities in California
• List of Jewish universities and colleges in the United States
• History of the Jews in Los Angeles

External links

• American Jewish University
• Jewish Journal Article from March 2007 regarding merger with Brandeis-Bardin Institute
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