American Jewish University to Sell Familian Campus in Bel Air and Invest in Expanded Digital and In-Person Offerings

American Jewish University (AJU) announced today that it will be placing its Sunny & Isadore Familian Campus in the Bel Air neighborhood of Los Angeles for sale. The University referred to the plan as a “strategic investment in the future of AJU” that will “generate significant endowment funds for a range of academic offerings and community programs that are tailored to our world—and the Jewish community’s needs—today and tomorrow.”

The Brandeis Bardin Campus in Simi Valley, home of the Brandeis Collegiate Institute and Camp Alonim, will remain under American Jewish University ownership and is not part of the sale.

According to the University, the landmark sale will allow them to invest resources into their evolving mission to “elevate the Jewish journeys of individuals, organizations, and the Jewish community” and will provide them the flexibility to have a presence where they determine is best moving forward.

In a statement, AJU President Dr. Jeffrey Herbst said, “Over the last eight decades, American Jewish University has evolved to meet the needs of the Jewish community. In that tradition, the Board of Directors has made the bold, strategic decision to initiate the sale of our Bel Air campus, allowing us to better direct our resources to fulfilling our mission today and in the future.”

“We look forward to continuing our work to advance the Jewish journeys of individuals and organizations and elevate Jewish life across North America through both robust online and in-person offerings.” – AJU President Dr. Jeffrey Herbst

Founded in 1947 as the University of Judaism (UJ), the school merged with the Brandeis-Bardin Institute in 2007 to become American Jewish University and has played a key role in the Los Angeles Jewish community for decades. The University acquired the 35-acre Bel Air property that overlooks the Santa Monica Mountains in 1977. The Familian Campus boasts a long list of lectures and events, performances and classes that it has hosted over the years.

COVID has changed the landscape of Jewish organizational life and encouraged organizations to reinvent themselves. In the last few years, AJU has  built a robust digital presence to supplement its in-person events, which the University said will continue.

AJU’s online events platform, Maven, has garnered a slate of notable guests from the UAE’s Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy Omar Saif Ghobash to Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl; and from New York Times bestselling author Anita Diamant and Academy Award winning producer Melissa Berton to Ozark’s Julia Garner and Chris Mundy.

“We look forward to continuing our work to advance the Jewish journeys of individuals and organizations and elevate Jewish life across North America through both robust online and in-person offerings,” said Herbst.

The Familian Campus is located at 15600 Mulholland Drive Los Angeles, CA 90077. The listing will be represented by Eastdil Secured.