jarc

Uplifting Loans

hey toil discreetly and selflessly under the Jewish
provides 41 percent. HFLA appreciates the demands on
communal radar — rescuing, resettling or simply
Federation so isn't standing pat. Two years ago this week, I
helping. They're inspired by what they do but
wrote about creation of a Friends group to jump-start the
become emotionally spent. These angels of mercy from the
association's major capital drive. The first year saw
Detroit Jewish community's Hebrew Free Loan Association
$135,000 in Friends gifts and $1.25 million in capital
help vulnerable, fearful or desperate Jews keep their dignity
pledges, a tribute to our communal resilience even in
while confronting a crisis or urgent need.
tough times. I was humbled to hear that a man in his 70s
This succor derives from a tenet of Torah: the interest-
gave $5,000 after reading my 2003 column "Loans Of
free loan. European and Russian Jewish immigrants
Hope." His generosity was a "thank you" for the $50 loan
brought to America the tradition that no matter how poor
his father got in 1939 and re-paid 50 cents a week.
you are, someone is always poorer so
My heroes are the HFLA board volunteers who verify the
you should help however you can.
need without breaking the spirit of each applicant. Two
The people who benefit from Hebrew
board members per request evaluate interviews, documents
Free Loan could be relatives, friends or
and urgency. Two qualified co-signers are required per
acquaintances. They're hard-pressed to
short-term loan. Decisions may come down to what the
meet key Jewish costs like synagogue
evaluators feel in their hearts. Repayment is a stunning
dues, school tuition and
98.5 percent, signaling the loan board's
summer camp let alone the
knack for connecting with clients and
cost of a wedding, a funer-
minimizing exposure.
ROBERT A. al, a bar mitzvah or an
SKLAR
emergency. Many appli-
"During the last year, we
Editor
cants are uninsured or
under insured. The 40
have experienced a new type
percent jump in loans to meet barebones liv-
ing expenses and pay medical bills shocked
of borrower — Jewish men ...
me. Over the past decade, emigres from the
out on parole ... trying to
former Soviet Union have come calling for
help resettling, further taxing the loan pool.
start a new life."
Michigan's tight job market has fueled the
loan surge. Laid-off executives seek loans to
learn new skills.
For 110 years, Hebrew Free Loan has
Wisely, the board is encouraged to refer
stepped forward when others scurried away.
or recommend instead of granting loans
Richard Broder
Many younger Jews link it to their immigrant
when compelling underlying concerns
grandparents or great-grandparents but remain
bubble up. No one who legitimately qual-
clueless about its imprint today.
ifies is turned away; Federation or others have interceded
The people helped are caught in a spreading web spun
to assure that.
by divorce, apartment eviction, home foreclosure, illness,
Hebrew Free Loan makes 200 loans a year. It has 650
alcoholism, spouse abuse, tax penalties, legal fees, medical
outstanding loans totaling $1.025 million, its largest
costs, car loans, leaking roofs or broken furnaces. Family
receivable balance ever. Since 2003, the average loan has
and friends are unable or unwilling to help. I feel for the
swelled from $2,000 to $4,500. Payment terms have dou-
schoolteacher who sought a loan to fix her teeth while she
bled to 36 months.
waited for a liver transplant. Equally moving was the need
You never know what golden legacy a loan will spur.
of -a young family to make their home more accommodat-
HFLA, for example, helped Spencer Partrich, now a
ing for a 4-year-old child with physical challenges.
Farmington Hills attorney and Wayne State University
HFLA also manages the Sarah and Harold Gottlieb
benefactor, pay for law school.
Jewish Educational Loan Service's college loan program
Turning hardship into opportunity is rich with promise.
and Neighborhood Project's loans for home purchases and
It's what Hebrew Free Loan does best. I love telling how
renovations. Prospective clients are lim-
my grandmother, Minsk native Sophie
ited only by their imagination: Even in-
Sklar, regaled me as a youngster with
vitro fertilization and pest control have
memories of the agency's good work in
passed muster.
the hardscrabble 1930s and 1940s as
"During the last year," says HFLA
Detroit's Jewish core moved north and
In business dealings,
President Richard Broder, "we have
west from Hastings Street on the lower
do you respect the dignity
experienced a new type of borrower —
east side.
of people you hold the
Jewish men who have been incarcerated
Hebrew Free Loan excels at the art of
and now are out on parole. They're try-
upper hand over?
tzedakah, Hebrew for "justice," for that
ing to start a new life." Their wants
which is "right" — the right thing to
include a used car, job training and
do. Though not a high visibility agency
Had you ever thought
clothing. Their arrests reflect a troubling
of Federation, it is the most enduring. It
that a loan could be
trend within the Jewish world.
became so by parlaying the simple act of
such a central part
Increased approvals have buffeted
a free loan into helping people on the
of Jewish life?
Hebrew Free Loan's $264,000 operating
financial edge build a better life for
Hebrew Free Loan:
budget. Federation's Annual Campaign
themselves. ❑

T

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2005

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