14 | MAY 13 • 2021 

In the run-up to World War 
II, Hebrew Free Loan aided 
Jews escaping from Nazi Europe 
and, after the war, aided survi-
vors who made it to Michigan.
In the late 1960s, Hebrew 
Free Loan helped business-
men whose properties were 
destroyed or damaged during 
Detroit’s racial turmoil. HFL 
also started making loans for 
tuition at Jewish day schools, 
enabling parents to make small-
er monthly payments instead of 
one large one.
Starting in the mid-1970s, the 
Detroit community absorbed 
thousands of Jews who left the 
former Soviet Union. Most 
needed help to pay for apart-
ment security deposits, furni-
ture, cars or work tools, and 
Hebrew Free Loan responded.
In 1986, the Jewish 
Welfare Federation started 
the Neighborhood Project to 
stabilize the Jewish communi-
ties of southeastern Oakland 
County. Administered by 

Hebrew Free Loan, the program 
offered no-interest loans of 
up to $6,000 for the purchase 
or improvement of homes in 
Southfield and Oak Park. By 
the time it ended in 2003, with 
the organized community 
feeling it had achieved its goal, 
the Neighborhood Project had 
made 1,200 home purchase 
loans and 153 home improve-
ment loans.
In 1989, the organization offi-
cially registered with the state 
as “Hebrew Free Loan,
” finally 
jettisoning its original Gmilith 
Chasudim name. 

A MODERNIZED 
APPROACH
As the 20th century ended, 
Hebrew Free Loan started 
modernizing its procedures and 
practices. Led by then-Presi-
dent Arthur Liss and Executive 
Director Mary Keane, HFL 
overhauled its accounting and 
record-keeping systems. A new 
board structure led to a larger 

governing body — but one 
where members routinely rotat-
ed off so that new supporters 
— including more women and 
younger adults — could join. 
The board created committees, 
and all members were required 
to participate.
“I’ve never been in an orga-
nization where the board mem-
bers work so hard,
” said Liss, 74, 

a trial attorney from Bloomfield 
Hills. His son, Dr. Zachary Liss, 
is also on the board.
Fundraising efforts led by 
David Kirsch, Sam Bernstein 
and Michael Berke brought in 
new funds to increase the num-
ber of loans.
HFL has continued busi-
ness-as-almost-usual during the 
pandemic, said Carolyn Tisdale, 

 
Jared Rothberger:

Becoming an 
Entrepreneur

After college, Jared Rothberger 
worked for a number of nonprof-
it organizations and then for KIG 
Insurance, which was run by his 
father-in-law, Ken Korotkin.
But he was an entrepreneur at 
heart. In 2015, he and a friend, 
Bryan Lubaway, wanted to buy the 
Southeast Michigan 
rights to Jan-Pro, 
an Atlanta-based 
franchise company 
that provides com-
mercial janitorial 
services and prod-
ucts. Pooling their 
personal financial 

resources wasn’t enough, so they 
applied to Hebrew Free Loan for a 
$90,000 small business loan.
As part of the application process, 
Rothberger and Lubaway made a 
Shark Tank-style presentation to 
Hebrew Free Loan board members. 
“It was intimidating,” he recalls. 
“These were machers in the commu-
nity, people who had already done 
what we want to do.” 
He said the board members spent 
an hour trying to tear down their pro-
posal, poking holes in it to see how 
they would respond.
Soon afterward, they were told their 
loan had been approved. The people 
they’d presented to complimented not 
only their business proposal but also 
the quality of their pitch.
“We knew that $90,000 was 
going to make or break our effort,” 

said Rothberger, 39, who lives in 
Bloomfield Hills with his wife, Lisa, 
and 8- and 9-year-old sons. “But in 
addition to the money, we also got the 
confidence that we had a good plan.”
Hebrew Free Loan provided a 
mentor to the young entrepreneurs, 
Jon Dwoskin, a professional business 
coach. “He helped keep us on track 
and focused on growth and success,” 
said Rothberger.
The partners put everything they 
earned back into the business; after 
six months, they paid themselves 
$300 each. The HFL loan was repaid 
after four years.
In 2019, Rothberger bought out his 
partner who moved to Chattanooga 
and opened his own Jan-Pro fran-
chise. The two are still good friends.
Last year, Rothberger’s Jan-Pro had 
$9.5 million in sales.

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

continued from page 13

Loan applicants have always been treated with respect at HFL.

Over 125 years, HFL’s proccesses have changed, but not its core values.

