Laeesha Cornejo comes from a long line of doctors, including her grandmother and three aunts. She’s always wanted to work in public health, helping to meet the needs of underserved populations. With support from Hebrew Free Loan, Laeesha is now a medical student...
When Rachel and Steve Thomas got married last month in a Sacramento park, their immediate family were the only guests, due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The ceremony unfolded beneath a chuppah held up by wooden poles that are part of the Camp Tawonga community, where...
Dr. Leslie Weil, MD, is an old-fashioned eye doctor, in the best sense of the word. She’s the type of doctor who calls her patients after a procedure to check in with them personally to make sure they’re okay. And she always goes the extra mile to provide people with...
Melissa and her husband separated when she was pregnant with their second child, and since then she’s been raising her daughters (now four and five years old) on her own. She moved in with her grandmother to build a sense of extended family for the girls, and they now...
Nothing about Norris’ education was easy. By the time he graduated from Skyline High School in Oakland, Norris and his twin sister had attended eleven schools in twelve years. But they figured out early on that doing well in school was the only way they’d...
When Amani got her B.A. in urban studies and planning from Cal State Northridge, she was the first in her family to graduate from college. She came home to Northern California and started working as a youth development coach with Juma Ventures. There she helped other...
“We’re so grateful for Hebrew Free Loan, which came through for us when Covid-19 caused an abrupt and devastating drop in sales. Their fast-acting support went way beyond what anyone would expect.” San Francisco’s Hometown Creamery is a family business in every...
Meet Katrina and Pascual, who faced a significant drop in income when the coronavirus hit. Katrina is a clinical social worker who had recently started her own therapy practice, and Pascual is a general contractor who owns a construction and hauling business....
Bezawit Abebe was born in Ethiopia and made aliyah to Israel in her 20s, becoming an Israeli citizen and dedicating herself to advocating for equality and empowerment of Ethiopian Jews. With help from Hebrew Free Loan, she is now studying for a doctoral degree in law...
Yelena Ostrovsky is a dentist with a thriving practice in San Francisco’s Marina district. Front and center for Yelena is the awareness that she’s treating a whole person — a living, breathing individual, with unique fears and desires — not just a tooth. At Cable Car...
