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 IV, 1899-2006 and undated (bulk dates 1983-1997), consist primarily of application data, Board minutes, financial data, and loan and repayment records.
This collection is of value to researchers studying immigration history in the later part of the twentieth century in the United State and, particularly, Soviet Jewish Cleveland, Ohio, immigration. This collection is also of value to researchers studying changing Jewish housing patterns in Cleveland and the attempt to stabilize racially changing neighborhoods. The referenced history of the Cleveland HFLA is also of value to the researcher studying the history of benevolent institutions in the United States, and in particular, the history of Jewish benevolent institutions in Cleveland.
Of particular note in the collection are the loan records of Soviet/Russian Jewish immigrants to Cleveland, 1989-1996, the loan records of the Cleveland Jewish Federation, Heights Area Project, Mortgage Assistance Home Loan Program, 1974-1991, and newspaper clippings regarding the HFLA, 1899-2004. Also of particular note is a referenced history of the HFLA, 1904-2003, with addenda including chronological lists of the HFLA's directors, the organization's locations, its officers, and its Board members. The addenda also contain profiles of the group's founders, profiles of the individuals of named endowments, and an alphabetical list of all present and former Board members.
The collection is arranged alphabetically by document type 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 4782 Hebrew Free Loan Association Records, Series III.
Processed by Stanley Lasky in 2007.
None.
[Container ___, Folder ___ ] MS 4971 Hebrew Free Loan Association Records, Series IV, Western Reserve Historical Society, Cleveland, Ohio
Gift of the Hebrew Free Loan Association in 2003.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.