Alums hope to ‘out-organize institutional buyers’ to save childhood camps after bankrupcies

1 hour ago 3

There’s s’more bidders.

David Zaslav has some rivals in his attempt to help buy “summer camp kings” Michael and David Shabsels’ out of their $500 million debt and revive their camps, Page Six has learned.

We’re told camp alumni are getting their bunks back together to buy parts of the firm.

“Several other… camps have alumni are quietly organizing their own capital to bid on it directly – ordinary former campers, now adults, are trying to out-organize institutional buyers to keep their childhood camps intact, for the future of their children and generations to come,” an insider familiar with the situation told Page Six.

David Zaslav bid $68 million on his kids’ childhood camp forced into bankruptcy. Bloomberg via Getty Images
A source told Page Six camp alumni are organizing capital to also bid. Toronto Star via Getty Images

The brothers invested in more than 30 camps across the US, with at least 20 of them catering towards Jews.

They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after Israeli creditors filed a lawsuit claiming the brothers owe $210 million — $270 million including interest — with additional suits filed by other creditors, totaling more than $100 million, according to The Jerusalem Post. Additionally, tons of the brothers’ other companies, including dozens of real estate assets, filed Chapter 11.

The filings have thrust the camps into one of the biggest bankruptcy cases in real estate history, according to The Real Deal, which reported on the sudden collapse of the brother’s company, Simad Holdings, just as camp season kicked off in June. The brothers reportedly sold their Camp Achim in the Catskills to its longtime manager for $7 million and our source told us, “there are stalking horse bids on many of the camps including $17 million for [Camp] Chen-A-Wanda,” in the Poconos.

The Warner Bros. Discovery CEO said it’s a personal family investment. The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images

Zaslav bid $68 million on Mohawk Day Camp in Westchester County, a camp his adult children attended in their youth. “This is a personal family investment that reflects our lifelong belief that summer camp can be a wonderful part of a child’s growth, and Mohawk’s history as a successful camp experience for so many kids, including our own,” the Warner Bros. Disovery honcho told Page Six via a spokesperson.

A rep for the Shabsels did not comment.

Welcome to the Page Six Community!

Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas in a safe space.

In order to do so, we've created a simple set of rules that will improve your experience.

Simply put, keep it civil.

Your post will/might be rejected if it contains:

  • Spam
  • Insults, profanity, incoherent, obscene or inflammatory language and threats of any kind
  • Attacks on the identity of other commenters or the article's author

User accounts will/might be blocked if we notice:

  • Continuous attempts to re-post comments that have been previously moderated/rejected
  • Racist, sexist, or homophobic comments
  • Attempts or tactics that put the site security at risk

So, how can you be a power user?

  • Stay on topic and share your passion. Feel free to elaborate to get your point across.
  • 'Like' or 'Dislike' when you are filled with emotions!
  • Protect your community. Use the report tool to alert us when someone breaks the rules.

Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Don't forget, freedom of speech is not the freedom of reach!

Read Entire Article