The Hebrew Free Loan Association of Washington State (HFLA)
Rooted in Jewish Tradition
The tradition of interest-free lending goes back thousands of years, rooted in the Bible. As written in Exodus 22:24: "If you lend money to My people, to the needy among you, do not act toward them as a creditor: exact no interest from them."
Mission
HFLA helps Jewish residents of Washington with interest-free, fee-free loans that provide both a safety net and a gateway to opportunity.
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Unique in Washington – We are the only organization in the state offering interest-free loans to the Jewish community.
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Recycling funds – Repayments from current borrowers go directly into new loans, multiplying the impact of every donation.
History
For more than a century, HFLA WA has carried out this tradition by offering loans that uphold dignity, build resilience, and create opportunity in Washington’s Jewish community.
In 1914, four Jewish leaders in Seattle — S.B. Goldman, Harry Lerner, E. Friedman, and P. Schneider — established the Hebrew Free Loan Association of Washington State to help newly arrived Jewish immigrants build homes, start businesses, and sustain their families.
Their mission continues today. We remain the only provider of interest-free loans in Washington, and we proudly serve as a member of the International Association of Jewish Free Loans (IAJFL), part of a national and global network dedicated to this mitzvah.
