Monday (June 29) marked two years since Ethan Kadish, then 12 years old, was hit by lightning while at Camp GUCI (Goldman Union Camp Institute), a Reform Jewish overnight camp in Zionsville, Indiana. According to a recent report by WCPO-Channel 9 TV in Ethan’s hometown of Cincinnati, he still cannot walk or talk or go to the bathroom on his own. He eats through a feeding tube and has to be pushed around in a wheelchair.

Ethan was one of three campers hurt when the lightning struck without warning during an Ultimate Frisbee game on the athletic field at the camp. The other two children were Lily Hoberman, of Chesterfield, and Noah Auerbach, of Kentucky. Noah recovered fairly quickly and went back to camp that summer; Lily recovered as well and went back to GUCI last year and again this summer.

“She is having such a great time,” said Lily’s mother, Michelle Hoberman. “It’s such a wonderful place and I think it was healing for her to go back.”

Michelle says that Lily has shown a resilience that her parents didn’t think was possible for a child her age. Now 11, she will attend Parkway West Middle School as a sixth grader when school resumes in August.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s progress has been slower than his parents had hoped. Reporter Lucy May and photojournalist Emily Maxwell, with WCPO, have been documenting Ethan and his family’s recovery since the accident in periodic installments that are well worth reading. Go to wcpo.com/ethankadish and you’ll see what I mean. 

You can also contribute to help Ethan’s family with the hundreds of thousands of dollars of his ongoing care not covered by insurance at jointeamethan.org.

The ink-crowd at camp

Admittedly, it’s been many years since I was a camper at sleep-away camp, but I do remember that parents were discouraged from sending care packages filled with candy. Of course they did anyway, despite the risk of someone confiscating the candy, never to be seen again. Years later, as a counselor, I finally understood where all that candy went.

Here’s an idea for parents who want to send their children something other than food they would enjoy at camp: temporary tattoos they can share with their whole cabin.

Clayton native Leah Hasson and her business partner, Jenni Patillo, will custom design these tattoos to include the cabin name, number, motto or whatever you want. Both mothers of young children, the two design and print all kinds of custom temporary tattoos for bachelorette parties, kids’ birthday parties and any other occasion you could imagine. They opened a shop on Etsy (loveandlion.etsy.com) about a year ago and have been crazy busy ever since.

“I went to OSRUI (Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute, a Jewish camp) and would have loved this as a kid,” said Hasson, 32, who now lives in Nashville but became a bat mitzvah at Congregation Temple Israel here. “They are perfect for color war and just a fun ice breaker when meeting new cabin mates.”

Hasson says most tattoos are sold in packs of 15 for $18. They take about 10 days from order to delivery, but customers can request a rush and/or expedited shipping.

By the way, Hasson’s parents, Dr. Leonard and Marty Weinstock, still live in Clayton and Marty helps her daughter with the business by printing some of the orders.

Stand-up guys 

Sam and Tucker Abeles, ages 6 and 4 respectively, have watched their mother Jenny volunteer with the National Council of Jewish Women-St. Louis Section’s Back to School! Store (BTSS) for as long as they can remember. The store is held each summer to provide clothing and school supplies to underserved St. Louis children from kindergarten through fifth grade. This year, it will take place Sunday, July 19 and serve 1,200 children.

Taking a cue from their mother, Sam and Tucker wanted to do something to help out as well. So last summer, they decided to have a lemonade stand, with all money going directly to the BTSS. 

“They made commercials, signs, cookies, everything,” said Jenny, who lives in Clayton and attends Congregation Temple Israel with her family. “Between the two lemonade stands they had last summer they were able to raise enough money, $475, to sponsor almost three children.  

“They loved that they were able to do something to help this amazing project,” Jenny continued. “They are both really into tzedakah.”

Jenny reports that her boys are setting up the stand again this summer, starting at 4 p.m. Monday, July 6, in Clayton’s Davis Place neighborhood.  Those interested in buying homemade brownies or Rice Krispies Treats (three for 50 cents) and a cup of lemonade (25 or 50 cents), will see signs pointing them in the right direction at the subdivision’s entrances (Jenny didn’t want her address published).

She explained that it costs roughly $180 to completely outfit a child with what they need at the Back to School! Store. NCJW volunteers purchase all these items to stock the store, but can always use generous monetary and in-kind donations from the community. 

If you can’t make it to the lemonade stand but would like to donate to the BTSS, go to ncjwbtss.org/donate.