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The Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia (HFLGP) provides interest-free loans to members of the Philadelphia Jewish community in need. Founded in 1984 as the Hebrew Free Loan Society at Beth Sholom and housed at Beth Sholom Congregation (Elkins Park, Pennsylvania), by 2006, over $2 million in loans had been granted from its revolving fund. HFLGP is a member of the International Association of Hebrew Free Loans.
HFLGP is a 501(c)(3) organization funded entirely by private donations.
HFLGP offers loans of up to $7,500. Borrowers must live in the Philadelphia area, specifically Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery or Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania, or Burlington, Camden, Gloucester or Mercer counties in New Jersey. Borrowers must be Jewish or serve the Jewish community.
Credit-worthy co-signers who live in Pennsylvania or New Jersey are required to guarantee repayment for all loans.
HFPGP lends money for many purposes, including but not limited to:
HFLGP offers interest-free loans up to $15,000 for new businesses or businesses changing their direction, though the R & B Business Loan Fund at Congregation Beth Or. Borrowers must live in the Philadelphia area, specifically Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery or Philadelphia counties in Pennsylvania, or Burlington, Camden, Gloucester or Mercer counties in New Jersey. Unlike HFLGP's personal loans, this loan program is non-sectarian.
Two credit-worthy co-signers who live in Pennsylvania or New Jersey are required to guarantee repayment for all loans.
Hebrew Free Loan Societies are based on the Biblical injunction "If you lend money to My people, to the poor among you, do not act towards them as a creditor; exact no interest from them." (Exodus 22:24) Jewish communities throughout history have included these organizations as one of the pillars of communal life.
The Hebrew Free Society of Greater Philadelphia was founded in 1984 through the efforts of Rabbi Aaron Landes z"l. Bernard and Marie Granor agreed to spearhead the original effort and Bernard served as President of the Society for more than 20 years.
In finance, a loan is the lending of money by one or more individuals, organizations, or other entities to other individuals, organizations etc. The recipient incurs a debt and is usually liable to pay interest on that debt until it is repaid as well as to repay the principal amount borrowed.
The Delaware Valley is the valley through which the Delaware River flows. By extension, this toponym is commonly used to refer to Greater Philadelphia or the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The Delaware Valley is coterminous with a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) and broader combined statistical area (CSA), and is composed of counties located in Southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey, Delaware, and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. As of the 2010 Census, the MSA has a population of over 6 million, while the CSA has a population of over 7.1 million.
The River Line is a diesel tram-train Interurban light rail system in southern New Jersey, United States, that connects the cities of Camden and Trenton, New Jersey's capital. It is operated for New Jersey Transit by the Southern New Jersey Rail Group (SNJRG), which originally included Bechtel Group and Bombardier. Now that the project is in its operational phase, Bombardier is the only member of SNJRG. The River Line is so named because the path between those two cities runs more or less parallel to the Delaware River.
Refinancing is the replacement of an existing debt obligation with another debt obligation under different terms. The terms and conditions of refinancing may vary widely by country, province, or state, based on several economic factors such as inherent risk, projected risk, political stability of a nation, currency stability, banking regulations, borrower's credit worthiness, and credit rating of a nation. In many industrialized nations, a common form of refinancing is for a place of primary residency mortgage.
South Jersey comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey, between the lower Delaware River and the Atlantic Ocean. The designation of southern New Jersey with a distinct toponym is a colloquial one rather than an administrative one, reflecting not only geographical but also perceived cultural differences from the northern part of the state, with no official definition. Though definitions of South Jersey may vary, most of South Jersey is generally considered to be part of the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area.
Credit is the trust which allows one party to provide money or resources to another party wherein the second party does not reimburse the first party immediately, but promises either to repay or return those resources at a later date. In other words, credit is a method of making reciprocity formal, legally enforceable, and extensible to a large group of unrelated people.
The history of the Jews in Pennsylvania dates back to Colonial America.
This page gives descriptions of UK mortgage terminology which can often confuse borrowers.
The subject of loans and interest in Judaism has a long and complex history. In the Hebrew Bible, the Book of Ezekiel classifies the charging of interest among the worst sins, denouncing it as an abomination and metaphorically portraying usurers as people who have shed the borrower's blood. The Talmud dwells on Ezekiel's condemnation of charging interest.
The Delaware River Region refers to an area in western New Jersey (USA) along the Delaware River border with Pennsylvania. It encompasses Burlington County, Camden County, Gloucester County, Mercer County, and Salem County. The area is primarily part of Greater Philadelphia with the exception of Mercer County, which is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. It is one of six officially recognized tourism regions by the New Jersey Department of Tourism, the others being the Greater Atlantic City Region, the Skylands Region, the Southern Shore Region, the Shore Region and the Gateway Region.
The Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia is a Haredi Litvish yeshiva in the Overbrook neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its heads of school are Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rabbi Shimon Yehudah Svei and Rabbi Sholom Kaminetsky.
Student loans are a form of financial aid used to help students access higher education. Student loan debt in the United States has grown rapidly since 2006. The debt was ~$1.6 trillion in 2019 which was ~7.5% of 2019 GDP.
Gemach is a Jewish free-loan fund which subscribes to both the positive Torah commandment of lending money and the Torah prohibition against charging interest on a loan to a fellow Jew. Unlike bank loans, gemach loans are interest-free, and are often set up with easy repayment terms.
The International Association of Hebrew Free Loans (IAHFL) is an umbrella organization for Hebrew Free Loan societies, organizations that offer interest-free loans to Jews. There are members around the world, with most in North America. Each member organization has its own rules regarding such things as who may borrow, the maximum loan amount, and the repayment process. However, all offer loans without interest.
Rabbi Albert L. Lewis was a leading American Conservative rabbi, scholar, and author; President of the Rabbinical Assembly (RA), the international organization of Conservative rabbis; and Vice-President of The World Council of Synagogues. In 2009, the award-winning author, Mitch Albom, wrote about Lewis, his childhood rabbi, as the main character in the non-fiction book, Have a Little Faith. The book, hailed as a story of faith that inspires faith in others, concludes with the eulogy that Albom delivered at Lewis's funeral, on February 12, 2008.
The Glassboro–Camden Line is an 18-mile (28.97 km) diesel multiple unit (DMU) light rail system planned for the southwestern part of New Jersey in the United States. At its northern end in Camden it will connect with the River Line with which its infrastructure and vehicles will be compatible. At the northern terminus, the Walter Rand Transportation Center, paid transfers will be possible to the PATCO Speedline. The route will generally follow the right of way (ROW) of Conrail's South Jersey/Philadelphia Shared Assets Operations Vineland Secondary freight rail line which continues beyond the light rail terminus in Glassboro. The project is part of a greater plan to expand public transportation in the Delaware Valley metro area.
Aaron Landes was an American rabbi in the Conservative movement and a rear admiral in the United States Naval Reserve. He served as rabbi of Beth Sholom Congregation in Elkins Park, Pennsylvania for 36 years. With his wife, Sora Eisenberg Landes, he founded the Forman Hebrew Day School, now known as the Forman branch of the Perelman Jewish Day School. He also was instrumental in founding the Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Philadelphia. During his time in Philadelphia, Landes served on the Board of Governors at Gratz College.
Hebrew Free Loan Association of Northeast Ohio (HFLA) is a non-sectarian 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that loans money interest-free to people who do not have easy access to other capital. The organization has made over 25,000 interest-free loans in Northeast Ohio. Between 97% to 99% of all funds loaned are repaid.