"A 57-year-old Jewish Uber driver in Washington, D.C., who stopped driving because of the coronavirus and simply ran out of money.

'He had no income to pay his bills,' said Shuli Tropp, executive director of the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington, which gave him a loan."

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"Since March, when Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington launched an emergency loan program to support area Jews caught in economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, the agency has distributed about $60,000 in 31 loans.
Zero-interest loans up to $2,500 are to support people’s medical costs, lost wages, newly found childcare needs and other pandemic-related expenses.

“I’ve had a few borrowers sort of cry in appreciation of what we’ve been able to do,” said Shuli Tropp, the association’s executive director."

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"In this week’s Torah portion, Re’eh, we read about the mitzvah of giving loans to those in need. We read, 'If there is a needy person among you…do not harden your heart and shut your hand against your needy kinsman. Rather, you must open your hand and lend him sufficient for whatever he needs' (Deuteronomy 15: 7-8). We are excited to feature an organization that provides interest-free loans to members of the Greater Washington Jewish community, to help them meet their financial needs with dignity."

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"... Last year, the family’s financial adviser suggested they look into Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington as part of the solution to their financial problems. Founded in 1909 to help impoverished immigrants and shopkeepers seeking capital, the association gives out interest-free loans to members of the Jewish community, which can be repaid in 24 to 36 months. Ronit and Daniel are the new faces of Hebrew Free Loan Association — middle class people struggling to pay for a middle class life in a time of rising costs. 'Everyone who’s coming to us has a need that’s very close to their heart,' says Shuli Tropp, Hebrew Free Loan Association’s executive director."
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"Ben, who asked not to have his last name used in this article, has been furloughed since the [government] closure began. Some other federal staffers are working without pay... He hopes that some of his fears will be allayed soon. Ben has been approved for a loan by the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington and is waiting for the money to be disbursed.  'It’s a good feeling. Certainly it helps ease the stress,' he said."

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"... One Jewish organization, the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington, is offering no-interest loans of up to $2,000 to furloughed Jewish workers and waiving a requirement that they provide two guarantors. On Tuesday, it processed the first of these loans. 'This is addressing a very acute cash flow need for those Jewish federal employees in the greater D.C. area who are encountering problems,' said David Farber, chairman of the association. 'We’re there for them.'"

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"The Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington is offering a total of $30,000 interest-free to Jewish federal employees in need, Forward reports. Fran Kritz, president of the organization, is married to a federal worker and remembers struggling to pay bills during a government shutdown in 1995. The group has received several loan requests, said David Farber, the board president, and at least one loan is expected to go out this week."

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"Approximately 50,000 Jewish federal workers face weeks or months without pay due to a government shutdown over funding for US President Donald Trump’s proposed border wall with Mexico, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington told The Jerusalem Post this week.But those struggling to pay their bills are being thrown a lifeline. The Hebrew Free Loan Society of Greater Washington will offer interest-free emergency loans to those affected by the shutdown, offering essential aid to workers and their families entering an interminable period of financial instability."

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"When the federal government shut down in late 1995, leaving federal workers without paychecks for nearly a month, Fran Kritz and her family worried that they could lose their home. 'We had a new baby and a toddler,' said Kritz, whose husband is a federal employee. 'We had no extra money. At that point in our lives, we just lived paycheck to paycheck.' This time around, Kritz says that she and her family will be fine. But the charity she runs, the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Greater Washington, is offering help to federal workers in the situation she was in a few decades ago."

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