HASHOMER HATZAIR

What HASHOMER HATZAIR does

Hashomer Hatzair Canada is a registered nonprofit Jewish youth movement and the Canadian branch of the international Hashomer Hatzair World Movement, a progressive Zionist organization founded internationally in 1913 and operating in Canada since 1923. The organization runs Camp Shomria on Otty Lake in Perth, Ontario, and delivers a portfolio of programming including a four-week summer sleepaway camp (Mosh Kayitz) capped at approximately 120 participants, a four-day winter camp (Mosh Choref), family camp weekends, and year-round Saturday programming in Toronto branded as The Ken. It also operates Israel-focused tracks such as Yedid and Shnat, and during COVID-19 launched Mosh Kayitz Ba'ir, a virtual summer offering.

The organization's core product is experiential, youth-led education grounded in 110+ years of movement pedagogy, with a counselor pipeline drawn largely from former campers under 25. Technology infrastructure is limited to standard SaaS tools — CampBrain for camper registration, Constant Contact for email outreach, Zoom for virtual sessions, and Google Forms for intake — with no proprietary platform or AI components. Business model revenue is diversified across sliding-scale tuition (with over 40% of participants receiving scholarships), donations (an active campaign targeting $1 million over three years), facility rentals on the Otty Lake site, and supplementary grants from partners such as the Harold Grinspoon Foundation. Programmatic partnerships include the New Israel Fund of Canada (Israel education, 2020) and Givat Haviva (Heart to Heart dialogue program, 2011), alongside a cross-border sister-camp relationship with Hashomer Hatzair in Liberty, New York.

Name

HASHOMER HATZAIR

Legal name

Hashomer Hatzair Canada

Website

https://hashomerhatzair.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hashomer Hatzair Canada is a nonprofit Jewish youth movement operating Camp Shomria on Otty Lake in Ontario, delivering summer, winter, family, and year-round programming that serves Jewish youth and families through progressive experiential education and leadership development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and Summer Camp Services

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Group Camping & Scout Camps (THAGAOAI), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)

Keywords

• Jewish youth movement
• Summer camp programs
• Experiential education
• Progressive Zionist education
• Youth leadership development

Headquarters

HQ city

Toronto

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Summer Camp Tuition: Fees for 4-week summer camp program (Mosh Kayitz). Sliding scale rates available with needs-based scholarships provided to over 40% of campers.
2. Winter Camp Fees: Fees for 4-day winter camp program (Mosh Choref) at $750 + HST with deposit and referral rewards.
3. Ken Year-Round Programming: Saturday meetups in Toronto for grades 1-10 at $25 per session or $300-336 annually. Winter promotion pricing available.
4. Family Camp Fees: Family camp program at $450 per adult and $250 per youth (3+) with subsidized and supporter rates available.
5. Donations and Fundraising: Active fundraising campaign targeting $1 million over three years. Legacy giving program (1923 Legacy Circle). Multi-year pledge commitments. Matching grants from Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
6. Facility Rentals: Camp facility rental for events, family reunions, conferences, and retreats. Accommodations for up to 120 people including dining hall, cabins, beachfront, and recreation facilities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hashomer Hatzair Canada operates Camp Shomria, a deliberately small (120-camper) Jewish summer camp on Otty Lake, Ontario, alongside a 4-day winter camp, multi-generational family camp, and year-round Saturday youth programming (Ken) in Toronto. Programs are designed to be youth-led, providing progressive Jewish experiential education, leadership development, and Zionist identity formation for grades 1-10. The organization also offers Israel-based gap year (Shnat) and counselor training (Yedid) programs, plus the Heart to Heart Jewish-Arab dialogue program.

Product overview

Hashomer Hatzair Canada operates Camp Shomria as a suite of interconnected youth programming services centered on progressive Jewish values, youth leadership development, and experiential education. The core offerings include Mosh Kayitz (summer camp), Mosh Choref (winter camp), Family Camp, and The Ken (year-round Saturday programming), supplemented by Israel-focused programs including Yedid (counselor training), Shnat (gap year), and the Heart to Heart program. Virtual offerings such as Mosh Kayitz Ba'ir and partnership programs with the New Israel Fund of Canada extend reach beyond the physical camp at Otty Lake. The organization utilizes CampBrain for registration management, Zoom for virtual programming, and Donate A Car Canada for vehicle donation processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mosh Kayitz (Summer Camp) Four-week immersive summer camp experience at Otty Lake in Ontario for Jewish youth of all ages, featuring youth-led activities including team sports, arts and crafts, music, drama, scouting skills, lakefront beach activities, gardening, yoga, and creative writing. The flagship program of Hashomer Hatzair Canada, deliberately capped at 120 campers to ensure meaningful intergenerational connections, with over 40% of campers receiving needs-based scholarships.
• Mosh Choref (Winter Camp) Four-day winter camp experience held December-January at the Camp Shomria facility, offering outdoor winter activities including fort building, skating, tobogganing, snowball fights, and arts and crafts. Uses the same youth-led informal education model in a smaller group setting of up to 40 campers, priced at $750 + HST with deposit and referral rewards.
• Family Camp Multi-generational family camp experience held at the Otty Lake campsite, offering programming for children ages 3+ and adults over 3-4 nights in family cabins or tents. Priced at $450 per adult and $250 per youth 3+, with subsidized and supporter rate tiers and sibling discounts of $25 per additional child.
• The Ken (Year-Round Programming) Saturday meetups in Toronto providing year-round youth programming for grades 1-10, enabling sustained engagement throughout the school year. Activities include tiyulim (hikes), activism programming, holiday celebrations, and overnight camping trips. Early bird annual subscription priced at $300 ($25 per Ken), regular price $336, with drop-in at $30 per session.
• Camp Shomria Facility Rentals Rental of the Camp Shomria site at Otty Lake for external groups including schools, music organizations, community groups, family reunions, conferences, and retreats. Accommodations for up to 120 people including dining hall, family cabins, private sandy beachfront, forest setting, and recreation facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• 66% of Jews who attended a Jewish camp considered their Jewish identity 'very important' vs 29% among those who never attended

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• New Israel Fund of Canada (NIFC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2020Institutional educational partnership to enrich Israel education with wider perspectives on civil society in Israel. Partnership based on shared values. Focuses on three core skills: holding multiple narratives, values-based inquiry, and normalizing complexity.
• Givat Haviva Education FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Heart to Heart program brings 20 teenagers to camp each summer - half Palestinian citizens of Israel and half Jewish citizens. Partnership established in 2011 for joint programming focused on dialogue, shared society building, and peace education.
• Ontario Camps AssociationminorOthersAffiliation with Ontario Camps Association for industry standards compliance and best practices.
• JCamp180minorOthersAffiliation with JCamp180 program network for Jewish overnight camps providing resources and support.
• Foundation for Jewish CampminorOthersPartnership providing research and advocacy for Jewish camping. Referenced for data on Jewish camp impact on identity.
• Donate A Car CanadaminorOthersVehicle donation program accepting cars, trucks, RVs, boats, and motorcycles. Free towing provided across Canada.
• Camp Shomria (Liberty, NY)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister camp in Liberty, New York. Part of same North American Hashomer Hatzair network. Yedid program includes Liberty kvutza joining Canada campers for Israel trips.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Camp Beber: Jewish summer camp in Wisconsin serving a similar youth and family demographic with overnight programming, Israel trips, and year-round engagement.
• Camp Miriam: Jewish summer camp in British Columbia serving a similar progressive Jewish youth and family segment with overnight programming and Israel travel experiences.
• Camp Ramah: The largest network of Jewish overnight camps in North America, operating multiple sites serving similar Jewish youth and family camper segments with summer, winter, and Israel-travel programming.
• Camp Kadimah: Atlantic Canada's Jewish overnight summer camp offering multi-activity programming for Jewish youth, comparable in size and mission to Camp Shomria.
• Camp Massad: Long-running Canadian Jewish summer camp offering Hebrew-language immersion programming; competes for the same progressive Jewish family camper base in Canada.

Broad incumbents

• BBYO (B'nai B'rith Youth Organization): International Jewish teen movement offering year-round programming, summer experiences, and leadership development for a comparable Jewish youth demographic, though broader in scope than Hashomer Hatzair.
• Camp Towanda: Large, established Jewish overnight summer camp in Pennsylvania serving a similar camper demographic with multi-activity programming and Israel travel options.

Others

• Foundation for Jewish Camp: Industry association and research/advocacy body for the North American Jewish camp sector; a key ecosystem partner and data source for Jewish camps like Camp Shomria.
• JCamp180: Harold Grinspoon Foundation program supporting Jewish overnight camps with capacity-building, professional development, and matching-grant funding that Hashomer Hatzair directly benefits from.

Regional players

• URJ Camp George: Union for Reform Judaism's Canadian overnight camp in Ontario, the closest geographic and demographic peer for Jewish families seeking immersive summer programming in Canada.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/CampShomriaCanada/?ref=bookmarks
• Instagraminstagram.com/campshomria/?hl=en
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/camp-shomria-canada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HASHOMER HATZAIR