[4] Massad attracts campers of various Jewish backgrounds from Montreal and other parts of Canada, various cities in the United States, Israel, and many other places throughout the world.

[5] Camp Massad was founded in 1947 by the Keren Hatarbut Ha'Ivri under the leadership of Aron Horowitz and a small group of Canadian Hebraists.

Massad's first president, Isaac Gold, invested three thousand dollars as a deposit for a camp-site at Lac Quenouille in the Laurentians.

With the assistance of Gold and other philanthropists, Massad grew from a small camp-site with no pier, no level ground for sports, few showers, a short supply of drinking water, and one hall for both dining and activities.

Following the Histadrut HaNoar Ha'Ivri's American Massad movement, the groups were soon renamed Shoresh (Hebrew: שׁוֹרֶשׁ, lit.

The Machon program consisted of three summers of extensive training, along with the requirement of attending the National Leadership Institute in the city throughout the three years.

[7] In 1959, Aron Horowitz proposed the building of a second unit across the road from the original camp-site for the accommodation of Massad and Machon l'Madrichim's growth.

In the mid-1970s, the Galil ulam (named after Isaac Gold) collapsed, fire had taken some bunks, and most of the facilities were in need of repair and renovation.

[13] The summer is climaxed by the Maccabiah colour war, where the camp is divided into two teams competing against each other in sport and spirit, and Ma'apilim, a night-time re-enactment of Jewish immigration during the Aliyah Bet.