by JanetheWriter Remember last summer when Garrett Weber-Gale and his teammates won the 4x100 meter freestyle relay in a heart-pounding, come-from-behind race at the Beijing Olympics? Coupled with Michael Phelps' edge-of-your-seat quest for eight gold medals, the pride and excitement (and, yes, shpilkes, too) among Americans during those steamy summer days were palpable.
Within the Union and its camps, the pride was magnified exponentially when we learned that Weber-Gale is one of us. Yes, he's Jewish and--more important--he's an alumnus of the Union's Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute in Oconomowoc, WI, where he repeatedly was a triathlon champion.
More recently, I learned similar details about Julie Gold, the Grammy-winning songwriter of "From a Distance," which she wrote in 1985 and Bette Midler recorded in 1990, creating a mega-hit that shot to the top of the charts. Judy Collins, Kathy Mattea, Jewel, The Byrds and Ronan Tynan, are among others who also have recorded the song.
Before she was a songwriter, however, Gold, a native of suburban Philadelphia was a Camp Harlam camper, CIT and counselor. About those nine summers, she says, "Those two months at Camp Harlam [every year] were a guaranteed spiritual infusion. Celebrating Shabbat in the outdoor chapel, in the most beautiful setting, was as close to God as you could possibly be.... Camp infused my life with a Jewish sensibility which is today part of every song I write... part of everything I do."
I've written before on this blog about the value of Reform Jewish camp experiences, but no words can adequately capture the transformative power of a summer at a URJ camp. Indeed, Gold, Weber-Gale and thousands of other alumni--famous or not--do it best when, no matter what their chosen field or path, they consciously and copiously infuse their lives with Judaism and the lessons they learned as campers.
i always say that camp made me who i am today. i'm a proud OSRUI alum and now faculty member!!!
Sandy Dochen said:
Our daughter, Katie, is attending a wedding this weekend of two special people who she met at Greene Family Camp. Our daughter and son, Andrew, have life-long and best friends, due to the camp experience. In our household, GFC and the Reform Jewish Camp experience are "hallowed ground." Shabbat Shalom and thanks!
Erica King said:
I couldn't agree more. Camp Harlam and NFTY made my daughters 28,24,18 who they are today. Proud, independent,and Jewishly aware women.
FYI Julie Gold along with Sheldon Lowe, Perry Smilow, Toby Lightman and Ross M. Levy will be preforming on Sunday, May 31@ Cong M’kor Shalom in Cherry Hill,NJ. The campus will come alive with the sounds of music, the beauty of the arts and the spirit of community as this synagogue presents M’korstock, a one day outdoor festival that honors the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock.For more information about M'korStock go to www.mkorshalom.org
alyssa said:
Both my daughters who are now 28 and 24 went to Camp Tamakwah in beautiful Algonquin Park, Canada. (where Gilda Radner went). The experiences they had help shape who they are today. The love for the outdoors, 13 day canoe trips, shabbat, theater,and a community that became an extended family. Eight weeks of blissful living. Lots of marriages came and come out of this camp. The movie "Indian Summer" with Alan Arkin was filmed there in the 90's.
May 25,2009
Buffalo, New York
Roz Rodman said:
We at Congregation M'kor Shalom, Cherry Hill, NJ, were honored to have Julie Gold with us at our June 31 all-day celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Woodstock. We called it "Mkorstock".
In addition to her great performance there for us, Julie sang "From A Distance" with our choir. It was a thrilling experience, and hearing Bette Mindler's recording here gives me the same goosebumps!
Thanks for the interesting article and for including the video.
Within the Union and its camps, the pride was magnified exponentially when we learned that Weber-Gale is one of us. Yes, he's Jewish and--more important--he's an alumnus of the Union's 
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i always say that camp made me who i am today. i'm a proud OSRUI alum and now faculty member!!!