As the old Beatles song goes,”I get by with a little help from my friends.”
That could easily be the theme song of thousands of Jews who over the years have received interest-free loans from the Hebrew Free Loan Association in San Francisco.
Without assistance, the loan recipients might not have been able to complete their education, buy houses, start businesses or, in some cases, afford food and clothing.
When Bay Area Jews were in need, the HFLA — which this year celebrates its 100th birthday — came through, and it still does.
But it does so with a philosophy that stresses the importance of dignity. Recipients are expected to pay their loans back, so that when the next person needs assistance, funds will be available.
“This is a not a hand-out program, it’s a hands-up program,” says Irwin Wiener, the organization’s director.
Indeed, the low default rate on loans speaks to the respect most recipients have for HFLA’s cycle of giving. Recognizing that it’s as much of a mitzvah to ask, when one is in need, as it is to give, recipients talk with pride of what the loans have helped them accomplish.
The HFLA, in fact, boasts many success stories. Such well-known Bay Area businesses as Zim’s, House of Bagels and Sammy’s Pet World got their initial push from the organization.
And it has helped create successes of a different sort — helping families, for example, realize their long-harbored dream of adopting.
Many of us, at some point in our lives, will need to turn to the community and seek assistance. Some of us will need pastoral care or psychological counseling. Others will need a financial boost.
It is comforting to know that organizations such as HFLA exist, and important that we ensure that the support they provide continues.
Such give and take, after all, is what community is all about.