Rabbi Marc Kline on the Events at Goldman Union Camp Institute in Indianapolis

This has been one of the most difficult and most amazing 48 hours that I can remember. On the heels of a week that caused us to hurt and celebrate over the decisions of our United States Supreme Court, I thought that we had seen it all. Saturday afternoon, just after 1:30, the only lightning bolt to hit Indianapolis struck out of the clear blue sky and hit the sports field of Goldman Union Camp Institute. G.U.C.I. is the youth summer camp for this region of the Union for Reform Judaism. That bolt of lightning struck three campers. This news has been shared through media sources all across the country (and even in Israel). As those of us who were first responders provided emergency medical care until rescue teams arrived with ambulances, hundreds of children were provided for and cared for in ways that proved to me why this camp has been such a force in molding the future leaders of our communities over the last 60 plus years. I arrived at the sports field just after the first of five emergency vehicles. What I witnessed already happening was something horrific and amazing, and both at the same time. Yes, three campers were seriously injured. The emergency medical care that they were receiving from counselors and staff was nothing short of miraculous. Our camp is staffed primarily by college and post graduate school age young adults. The courage, the professionalism, and the obvious love that these people showed in the most awful of situations will stay with me for the rest of my life.

We helped get the three campers to the ambulances, and helped the emergency teams get out of camp, avoiding the media that had already gathered at our gates. At that point, we were able to learn that the rest of our staff had already rallied and engaging our youth in incredible ways. We gathered campers into one major area, and without prompting, our rising high school seniors launched into an immediate improvisational comedy act to keep campers’ attentions, and then took it upon themselves to plan the entire camp wide evening programs. By Sunday morning, our staff had camp running at a level that kept us moving forward and kept our youth focused, all ensuring the vibrancy of their experience. All who need to process are receiving love and appropriate care.

We have spent the last 48 hours taking care of families of our children, staying active at the hospital as our injured children and their families are receiving the finest of care, and taking care of each other. Two of the campers have been released and gone home. One wants to return for the rest of this session. I apologize that this took 48 hours to write, but I have been, as they say, “knee deep in the hoopla.” As a first responder, I have tried to take care of others who were even more immediately involved and affected, and at the same time, help keep camp celebrating. My hat is off to Rabbi Mark Covitz (Camp Director), to the Assistant Director Joe Slade, and to our senior leadership. These people (our “top deck”) are nothing short of amazing in how they handled and managed our efforts to heal and restore our camp family. Senior members of the URJ executive came to help, and expressed their own amazement at, and appreciation for, how well our crew was taking care of each other and of our camp.

In short, while I can never imagine using this episode as a tool for marketing this camp, I have to say that we learned firsthand something that we intrinsically always knew: Sending our kids to G.U.C.I. is not just a four week experience away from home. We groomed all of our leadership. From our Camp Director and Assistant Director, on down to our newest counselors: they were most all campers here, and grew up learning to love and care for this place and for each other. Over the last ten years serving as faculty here, I have watched many of these folks grow from awkward youth into amazing young leaders. These young adults are prepared for life and for leadership positions. They literally saved lives, physically, spiritually, and emotionally; a gift and blessing for which I will always stand in awe and for which I will always be grateful. Of course, we all pray for the healing of our campers and for their families. We are also thankful for God’s blessings that get shared here in such amazing ways. I worked with one unit today, as they were writing statements to go in a time capsule for the next generation of campers. I began to tear as I read the number of them that spoke of the campers love for their counselors, their cabin mates, and for the way in which they are cared for. Truly this is a day blessed by God.