The Hebrew Free Loan Association was organized in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1903 when two prominent Clevelanders, Charles Ettinger and Maurice Black, each contributed two hundred dollars to a fund to aid needy Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland. Others subsequently contributed to the fund so that on the sixth day of September, 1904, the Gmilus Chassodim Society, or Hebrew Free Loan Association, was established. Although founded to assist Jewish immigrants, the Association is non-sectarian, requiring only that the borrower prove real need. The Association has believed "that the best method to relieve temporary distress among the poor is not to give them alms, but instead to give them loans of money so that they remain self-supporting and retain their self-respect."
Unlike commercial banks and finance companies, the Hebrew Free Loan Association is non-profit. A self-sustaining organization, it operates from membership dues and makes many types of loans, including moral-risk loans and emergency loans.
Over the years, recipients of the loans have varied. Although founded as an immigrant aid society, the Association established itself as a general relief agency by aiding the needy throughout the years of the Great Depression. In 1945 its reputation continued to grow as the Association responded to the needs of returning World War II soldiers by offering them loans to start businesses, pursue careers, or purchase homes.
The Hebrew Free Loan Association Records, Series III, 1908-1992 (1972-1992), consist primarily of minutes, correspondence, financial statements and loan applications and lists of loans granted.
This collection is of value to researchers studying Jewish charitable organizations in America and in Cleveland, Ohio, in particular, during the twentieth century. This collection is also of value to researchers interested in loan records as an index to the effects of changing ethnic neighborhood patterns, Jewish migration from the former Soviet Union, and changing economic circumstances upon members of both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities of Greater Cleveland, Ohio. Of particular interest is the Heights Area Project Mortgage Assistance Program, which was a cooperative attempt by the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland and The Hebrew Free Loan Association to stabilize the ethnically changing Taylor Road area in Cleveland Heights. Other programs of note are the student loans for organized trips to Israel in conjunction with the Bureau of Jewish Education, and the Soviet Emigre Resettlement Program.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject and then chronologically.
The researcher should also consult MS 3640 Hebrew Free Loan Association Records; MS 4551 Hebrew Free Loan Association Records, Series II; and MS 4971 Hebrew Free Loan Association Records, Series IV.
Processed by Stanley Lasky in 1998
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[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4782 Hebrew Free Loan Association Records, Series III, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Hebrew Free Loan Association, 1998
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.