(upbeat music) good morning and welcome to mosaic. i am rabbi eric weissman, honor to be your host. faith communities across our country have very serious conversations about their own economic health and vitality. we would like to invite you into a wonderful conversation on this topic cindy who is the executive director of hebrew free loan. welcome. >> thank you. >> let's jump in and ask what is hebrew free loan? >> to discuss it is to really talk about its history. we are 120 years old which is a

very special time for us. we've been celebrating all year. we were created in 1897 by a group of people who are studying the torah because the mission of our agency comes directly from the torah. this group of individuals took a look and said, look at this, it shows in the torah that god tells moses not to charge interest to his people. it's really important not to benefit from another person's troubles. based on that, they decided to make it a reality and they created acts of lovingkindness and later became known as the hebrew free loan. what they did, they each agreed to donate $.25 into a pot each month until they had enough money to make their first load.

there still interest-free, primarily to members of the jewish community and the loans are paid back over time. we have an amazing repayment rate still, 120 years later. 99.75%. >> i know we will talk a little bit more about concrete programs and people who will talk in a more personal way about the way they elevated their own economic health and vitality through hebrew free loan. if we rewind to 1897 in san francisco in the state of california, kinney talk about what was going on that actually have these visionaries say we need to do this on behalf of our own community for our future? it is quite a vision and legacy. >> it is. it is on i'm proud to help usher into this century and

beyond. but they were facing at the time, the california gold rush, we had a lot of immigrants that were new to the community who are all part of the effort to pave the better path for their own families. the jewish coming here at that time faced a lot of anti- semitism. it was difficult for them to get financial support. this was an opportunity to provide for their own members of the community, by donating a little bit of money to create that pool. i think there were some very real economic hardships that they were all facing. they felt this would make it a little bit easier. >> 1897 to 2017 is interesting no matter what the political structures are the san

francisco bay area or the nation or the world. issues around people coming new to a place. you come with a new vision and you have a lot of energy but you may not have the money. that is the marriage. and wondering as a deterrent to folks to benefit from preview free loan. key comment on the economic marriage of how you bring human capacity to an economic support system and what that does to build resilience in a community. >> thank you for that question. our mission is really to help people become and remain self- sufficient. we do that by means of providing interest-free loans. much like a family member might.

especially for immigrants and others who are living in an environment where they don't have that the family support to provide the necessary financial means. we are like and extended families offering the key to the future. whether it's to help them get back on track financially, they offer personal, emergency, claimant loans. people are having literal financial troubles because they also provide loans much like a family would for people that are trying to fulfill their james. it might be education loans, business loans, adoption and fertility loans. >> a range of issues that influence economic vitality. we will take a quick break and come back to our conversation with windy from hebrew free loan in just a moment.

good morning and will go back to mosaic. i am honored to be your host this morning. we are in the middle of a wonderful conversation about issues around economic vitality and resilience. i would like to reintroduce you to to cindy who is the executive director of hebrew free loan. with her is greg who is a business under a separate.

welcome back. what was your experience of hebrew free loan? >> a while back i had a dream of starting my own food truck. it was actually a phils coffee track as with the company is just as like fresh and new i got the approval and be okay from phil to. to had to build and design it. i was excited. got to a point where i was not i was to find the phone so i was . i was told there is a hebrew free loan, mom told me. she used to work for an agency

with cindy in the past. she said look it up and check it out. i went in there and met cindy and told her about my idea cindy was very supportive. we went to the whole process of and what happened. that's how it happened. >> in a moment, it will be interesting to talk about the process of doing this and how hebrew free slot loans sees its role. we live in a part of the country that in a stereotypical way the lived truth day today is filled with this notion of the human spirit. catty make a dream come true? i'm wondering, as you were thinking of your dream of doing things, what was that about the

dream rfid track? how did you come to this, because it? there answering basic questions. can you give us a little bit of your spirit to give us a sense of what that was for your. >> i always wanted something that was my own work i wanted to work for myself and i always believed in our company and what we tried to do to give me this opportunity to have something i can call my own. it came in the form of a food truck. is passionate about it and excited about it so i was determined to do whatever it took to make it happen. i wanted him to grow the company in other ways still

something to call my own. that was the whole idea. to have a start in business life and grow it and make it happen. >> that's wonderful. >> it was that drive that i witnessed when greg came into the office. alcatel he had that patient which is something i look for when i'm betting our business on applicants. he had an idea, pass.'s finances well together and organized in clear there was a viable business and we have a cavity a very successful business people who are able to evaluate it. i saw that he had the drive to see the plan through. that was what impressed me.

spiking to go celibate of this since on how the loan comes to a yes what gets to a yes? it's a lengthy process. it is meant to vent the business. the viability of the plan. with a look at the financials and project ends for the coming year and to the assumptions made behind the projections for we look at how other person's situation and what kind of advisers do they have? just the kind of support, financial and otherwise to make sure they can weather the storms. the loans were also taken care

of. >> believe it or not, we have to take a quick break. greg, can you give a sense of what keeps you going? what drives you and feed you as you move forward? >> when he got into the business there is a lot of ups and downs are part of the community and everyday we show up with people that love us and support us and have done that for many years. i'm really doing this because number one, we have built a great team and we are offering people jobs and something a voice lived in. if you can grow the business, you're not only helping yourself but the people around you.

as far as being around those clientele, the people believe in you and it's something to thrive on. just the nature of gross i want to keep growing and doing better thanks. >> we are going to say goodbye to greg in just a moment and return to mosaic and have the conversation continue.

in morning and welcome back to mosaic i am by eric and am honored to be your host. we are in the middle of a conversation about the way the jewish community looks at building economic vitality and resilience in the community. cindy is executive director of hebrew free loan and also let

us know what your experience has been with hebrew free loan. >> i received an unemployment loan. it was about five years ago. is laid off from a job so we're still coming out of the recession and then i was just laid off. it's always a hard challenge. from it happened at a time when all of these other things in my life for i had to put my house up for a short seltzer lost a family home and i had a teenage son who is older now. he was 15 and went through a serious mental health crisis. i was dealing with all of these things on time. i did not know how we were going to survive. a friend suggested hebrew free loan. >> you got an unemployment loan? >> officially it's called recent unemployment. somebody at sometime has to be unemployed in the past year.

we call it jewish unemployment. is supposed to supplement what they might get from the state but it is very difficult for people in a situation like tarries to survive with just receiving the small amounts that you can get. i'm wondering if you can talk about your experience with the team. the unemployment loan is different than building a business loan. you have a different way of understanding coming soon economic challenge. terry, maybe you can talk about how you came to the the ways the financial assistance help to you >> is a great question. the on unemployment loan works,

are allowed a certain amount of money every month for up to six months. you also have to check in with cindy here loan officer to let them know how silly etc. i would check goes to should connect me with people, it was a practical support and help me pay the bills during that period. even more, it felt like a very, it was a big emotional support >> who here will give you a family when you don't have a loan?

you have nine months interest free no loan payments. where else can you get that kind of help? >> terri's story reminds me to greg sister who got a business loan. she gives her financial institution like a bigger credit alliant union, the way you get a loan is on an economic filter. the relationship is, we just want the limit of the relationship. it also seems you are engaging the whole person. whether it's a business loan or other programs, there is a psychosis in that you're getting. it's an emotional assistance, a

lot of human elements go into building resilience. wondering if you can talk a little bit about that holistic approach and what it's about and the sustainability of finances? >> to meet its essential. as you mentioned, as terry described her situation there were so many more things going on in her life we see ourselves as a family or a financial institution. where all that rolled into one. we try to meet people where they are at. every person who comes in who has an initial need for some kind of cash, we get to know them as a person. we believe that's a large part of why we have such a high repayment rate. we build those connections with people that are lifelong. i could tell you a story about

every loan recipient to get to know them and they get to know us. they fill a commitment to repairs and we have the ability to do so. >> we're going to take a quick break and come back in just a moment.

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forecast. welcome back to mosaic. i am rabbi eric, honored to be a host. we are in the middle of a wonderful conversation about the economic viability of the jewish community here in the bay area. at us like to introduce you to cindy who is the executive director of hebrew free loan. terry was an unemployment loan recipient. i understand there is a wonderful evolution mer particular story? >> there is. it's not what happens with most

of our loan recipients. >> it was a few years after she was really the unemployment loan that she we posted that we had a job available and terry asked if she might be appropriate. she was already working and had resolved a lot of her financial woes and i said you would be perfect for this job. inbeyond who better to interview potential loan recipients. today, terry is a loan officer with us as well as ailment associate helping to raise funds for the agency. >> are a must for any agency have lost of different components that make it viable.

wondering if you can talk a little bit about the broad, holistic approach. had they receive one's to distribute back to haiti. kenny talk about what it looks like initially now and he refound phone now. i would imagine as he will become more economic viable pick baster to give back for a chest wondering if you have any ways when the philanthropists becomes let as well. >> we are still deen naom mmunit numberofildifferent. . today we have over $50 million and asked that. most of

that is in the community. we are always trying to grow the pot because the more we have in assets, morey can give out numbers of the community. the rest is invested. that's a large part of what terry is helping us with. until a little bit about the full circle club. we do have a program that has >> we have just 30 seconds left. and you say in a moment how people might be able to contact it. >> they can get onto our website with a user-friendly donation page. there are periodic gatherings.

thank you so much for being with us for this wonderful conversation. we encourage you to look at the chemistry can. thank you for joining us here on mosaic.

. live from the cbs bay area studios, this is kpix5 news. right now object kpix5 and streaming on cbs news bay area, cruise ship under investigation by the cdc is in the spotlight again. just how big is the covid outbreak on board. >> everybody got tested before this, and they took good procedures, which is awesome. and i will wear my mask the whole time. local school held a prom but say covid is not on the guest list. details of their plan, coming up. plus, nearly 100 pounds of fentanyl worth more than $4 million and the cost in human suffering incame cuable is off the street this morning. we will have detase on the bust. good morning, it's sunday, april 24th, thanks