Always in Season: Shmuel Yosef Davidsohn

Name: Shmuel Yosef Davidsohn

Business name: Chaverim Youth Organisation

Years in business: 30 years

Busy season: Summer camp and winter camp

Location: We’re based in Golders Green, London, but we serve boys all around the country

Position: Executive Director

How did you get started?

I started with a very small Melaveh Malkah for around 15 to 20 boys. Then I tried a winter day camp — we had about 30 boys. From there things grew quickly. Summer day camp was a new concept in the area, but people went crazy for it. After a few years, we decided to create an overnight summer camp. It’s gotten bigger and better every year. Between all our programs, we service between 800 to 1,000 boys per year.

When do you start preparing?

Once someone walked into the office right after summer camp and asked what I was doing. I told him, “Working on winter camp… and I’m about to send out emails for next summer already too.” We start preparing for summer camp right after winter camp ends, and we start preparing for winter camp right after summer camp ends. And besides all the other logistics, we don’t own a building, so we’re always looking for a venue to house our camp.

What’s it like at peak season?

Very busy. We bring in extra staff, and we’re working non-stop.

When is downtime?

From after summer camp until Rosh Hashanah, it’s quiet-ish, but even then, I’m busy with camp, sending out newsletters and mailings.