Beit Din
To Collect Debts
New York (JTA) — As many
as 400 Soviet Jews who have
settled in the Chicago area
may be summoned before
the local religious court, or
beit din, for not repaying
loans they received from the
Chicago Jewish Federation.
Taking the delinquent
Russians to court is a last-
ditch effort by the federation
to collect the money it laid
out to aid refugees from the
former Soviet Union. The
federation has made over
6,000 loans totalling $6.36
million since 1989.
Most of that money — $5
million — was borrowed by
the federation from its own
endowment fund.
The majority of Russian
Jews who were granted
loans — 78 percent, accor-
ding to the federation — are
repaying the money they
owe.
But nearly $1 million in
loans, owed by approximate-
ly 400 families from the
former Soviet Union, is past
due, and federation officials
say that both the endow-
ment fund and money to
provide new loans may be
jeopardized if outstanding
funds are not repaid.
The effort is believed to be
the first time that a federa-
tion is working through a
belt din.
But before they get to
court, federation officials are
attempting to convince
delinquent borrowers to
work out a payment plan.
They hope that in the end,
no more than a few dozen
loan recipients will be
brought before the court.
Delinquent borrowers are
being contacted by mail and
phone in English and Rus-
sian, first by the federation,
then by a law firm specializ-
ing in collections, and final-
ly, by the Chicago Rab-
binical Council.
"If someone was ill or lost
a job, we'll be willing to
delay payment or adjust it if
there is a compelling
reason," said federation
spokesman Hal Rosen. "We
are willing to be flexible but
are entitled to get the money
back."
If those summoned to ap-
pear before the three judge
Chicago Rabbinical Council
beit din refuse to do so, or
lose the beit din trial but
refuse to pay, the federation
will take them to civil court.
The question remains how
effective a beit din can be
with a population of Jews
who tend not to live in re-
ligious communities.
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