CAMP FOSTERS JEWISH CULTURE : ALUMNI RETURN TO REFLECT ON EXPERIENCES.

Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer

David Gill wasn't sure what to expect the first time he attended Jewish summer camp at age 17. Though he signed up at the urging of his rabbi, Gill admits he had other things on his mind back then, like his college studies and social life.

``I didn't know what I was getting into,'' Gill said.

That was 1954. Today at age 59, Gill praises the camp where he became connected to his roots and met his wife.

``It was the first time in my life I had been in a place that was completely Jewish,'' said Gill, who lives in Encino. ``When I walk into this place, I am no longer a minority.''

Gill was among hundreds of people who gathered Sunday for a camp reunion at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute - a place that enhances Jewish identity by promoting the arts, culture and intellectual pursuits.

Tucked deep in the hills on the east side of Simi Valley, the camp was full of past and present campers who sang songs, danced and enjoyed lunch under plush, shady trees.

Many alumni believe the camp opened their eyes to the full spectrum of Judaism. Others said it connected them emotionally and culturally to all facets of Jewish life.

In silence, the older alumni smiled as they looked for their faces in black-and-white photos taken of camp groups from the 1940s, '50s and '60s. Not far away, their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren danced to Israeli folk songs.

Since 1941, the Brandeis-Bardin Institute has offered enriching Jewish learning experiences to people of all ages through various programs. Activities include overnight camp, young adult weekends, residential learning experiences and young adult Jewish leadership programs.

Elaine Gill, who met David Gill at camp in the 1950s, said the Jewish summer camp gave her direction and taught her what it means to be Jewish. The more she learned about Judaism, the more she wanted to study.

``I've been studying ever since,'' said Elaine Gill, 58.

Andrea Narin, 28, attended the camp for the first time when she was 8.

``It made me feel good about being Jewish,'' said Narin, who later went on to major in religious studies at Berkeley. ``Before, I was never aware of that core of myself. It (the camp) is a positive, fulfilling environment. It touches all your senses.''

Since Elaine Gill first attended summer camp at age 17, she has seen hundreds come through the program. Some are willing, others are reluctant.

``Eighty percent are reluctant the first time,'' said Gill, now a Brandeis-Bardin board member. ``But by the time they leave, it has changed their life.''

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Dani Dassa, a member of the Brandeis-Bardin I nstitute board of directors for three decades, leads others in a group dance.

(2--Ran in Conejo edition only) Sunday's reunion drew the young and the old to the Simi Valley camp that promotes Jewish identity.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News