Just a couple of weeks before camps are scheduled to open for the summer, eJewish Philanthropy reported Wednesday that two brothers who support dozens of camps, many of them for Jewish children, are facing major financial problems, throwing the camps into fear and uncertainty about their future.

The brothers, Michael and David Shabsels, have filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy for their company, Simad Holdings. The two men, along with their company, own 22 overnight camps and eight day camps throughout the northeastern United States. Tuition for these camps generally ranges between $8,000 and $10,000, but some can cost more than $17,000.

Parents of the roughly 20,000 kids served by these camps can breathe easy for this summer at least, as camps will continue to operate.

“I really don’t know anything,” a representative from Camp Achim in New York told eJP. “I just know camp is moving forward as planned.”

The financial issues could affect the Shma camps in New York, as well as Camp Lavi in Pennsylvania, Blue Star Camps in North Carolina, Camp Mesorah in New York and New Jersey and Camp Malka in New York.

Filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy doesn’t mean the camps have to close down immediately. The filing gives time to business owners to correct course and resolve issues. In this case, the Shabsels brothers have until Oct. 2 to right their ship. However, many in the camp industry worry that if they fail, they may decide to sell off camp properties to pay their debts, drastically affecting the future of the camps.

A cascade of financial problems led to the bankruptcy filing. According to court documents, the Shabsels brothers owed half a billion dollars. In addition, a missed payment to bondholders revealed that $34 million had gone missing.

The Israeli financial newspaper Globes reported that insiders accused the brothers of pledging double assets.

“It seems that this is a case of a company owner who came here to raise debt by lying,” a source told the paper.

On top of lawsuits against the brothers that have piled up over the decades, a criminal investigation has also been launched into their financial activity.

Nevertheless, camp directors are telling families not to worry.

“Everything is good,” a Blue Star Camps employee told eJP. The camp is “absolutely financially healthy.”

“There is a lot we don’t know about the camps affected, but what we do hope for is a positive resolution so campers and families aren’t impacted,” said Jamie Simon, CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp.