By evening's end, each of those sitting around the table agreed to put aside 25 cents a month in a special fund. When the fund reached $50 they would make the money available in interest-free loans.

The first loan was for $10 to Jacob Goldberg. He repaid it in 10 months, at $1 per month. He was so appreciative that later, when he got on his feet, he became a Hebrew Free Loan donor.

Easing the Way for New Immigrants...

Over the years Hebrew Free Loan has helped ease the way for various waves of Jews who migrated to the Bay Area, including those from Eastern Europe in the early 1900s; refugees from World Wars I and II; those escaping communist countries in the 1950s and '60s; and the huge wave of Jews from the former Soviet Union in the last quarter of the 20th Century.

Today, more than 50,000 loans later, Hebrew Free Loan follows the same course of action established by the founders more than 100 years ago. Right now, more than 1,000 members of our Bay Area Jewish community are improving their lives with loans totaling more than $4.2 million, ranging from emergency loans of a few hundred dollars to business loans of $25,000.

Helping Dreams Come True...

In those early San Francisco years the loans were used to help an immigrant population accomplish their small dreams: renting a horse and buggy, buying goods to sell, or paying for a relative to relocate to San Francisco.

Today, of course, the issues are different and the financial needs much greater. Today we help first-generation Americans pay for college; we help young couples afford an expensive adoption process; we help people who have been recently laid off to manage their bills; and we help individuals and families start a new business or buy their first home.

Many loan recipients have followed Jacob Goldberg's fine example. Over ninety-nine percent of our loans are repaid and, like Jacob, a great number of loan recipients become donors and do their part to help sustain the work of Hebrew Free Loan.

Help Us Help Others...