By Dr. Jonathan Fellows
Rewind to September 2012. I was sitting with David Contorer, Executive Director of Hebrew Free Loan, at our first meeting. A mutual friend had introduced us, but what I remember most clearly is what I said that day:
“I received my college loans, paid them off, then I forgot about HFL and HFL forgot about me. We need to change that story.”
As a student, I received education loans from the Jewish Education Loan Service (JELS) for both my undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan, where I earned a BA in Judaic Studies, and later for medical school at Michigan State University. Those interest-free loans helped me buy books, pay for gas and rent, and other day-to-day expenses as a college student.
But what stayed with me most was not the financial support. It was the message.
The JELS staff made one thing very clear: every dollar repaid is immediately recycled to help the next student. These weren’t just loans. They were links in a chain. When you repaid your loan, you weren’t just fulfilling an obligation, you were helping someone else.
That idea resonated deeply, so I made it a priority to repay my interest-free JELS loans first, before my interest-bearing federal loans. That decision wasn’t about math, but rather mission. It was about tzedakah, our moral obligation as Jews to care for one another.
From Recipient to Responsibility
In June 2013, I joined the Hebrew Free Loan board and immediately began participating in client loan interviews. HFL board members communicate directly with borrowers. We hear their stories. We talk about their needs. We work through loan amounts and repayment plans. Together with HFL’s professional staff, we do everything we can to find a way to say “yes.”
That direct connection is powerful because you see people navigating unexpected medical bills, small business owners trying to grow, or students chasing dreams that sometimes feel out of reach.
It is humbling. It is personal. And it is deeply meaningful.
Building Something That Lasts
In 2014, a transformative step forward occurred with the creation of the William Davidson Jewish College Loan Program (WDJCLP). The program combined the legacy JELS initiative with an $8 million grant from the William Davidson Foundation and the support of many generous donors.
The vision was simple but powerful: provide critical “last dollars” to Jewish students. These loans bridge the gap between scholarships, savings, and federal aid, and the real cost of higher education including tuition, housing, books, and living expenses. That final gap is often what determines whether a student can attend their school of choice, or attend at all.
Over the years, our student portfolio grew, and with continued partnership and strategic fundraising, we worked to ensure the program could become “evergreen” – meaning that as loans are repaid, the funds are recycled to support new students, creating a self-sustaining cycle of opportunity.
This is what makes Hebrew Free Loan extraordinary. The impact doesn’t end. It multiplies.
A Personal Full Circle Moment
In May 2019, my wife Suzanne (a former JELS graduate loan recipient) and I hosted a fundraising event. With tremendous support from HFL’s professional team, we raised $180,000 for the college loan program.
Current and former loan recipients shared how these funds helped them close the gap and pursue their education. Years earlier, I had walked into a meeting determined to “change the story.” That night, I realized the story had already changed. I was no longer just a recipient, I was part of the chain.
I remain deeply grateful to the individuals and families who establish education loan funds that will live on in perpetuity, supporting generations of Jewish students they may never meet. Their generosity becomes someone else’s opportunity.
The Impact Today and Tomorrow
Today, WDJCLP represents more than 70% ($13.6 million) of HFL’s total outstanding, interest-free loan portfolio of $18.8 million, and HFL maintains an extraordinary 99% repayment rate.
Beginning with the April 1, 2026 application cycle, graduate students from Michigan who are enrolled in schools outside our state will now be eligible to apply for these loans. In the past, eligibility was limited to in-state schools. But as we listened to our community, we recognized that graduate students, some pursuing medicine, dentistry, or law, often leave Michigan for programs or specialties that aren’t available here. They face a choice between affordability and a dream, and can carry significant financial burdens as a result.
More Than College Loans
Hebrew Free Loan’s mission is simple: lend money, interest-free, to Michigan Jewish residents in need with privacy, dignity and compassion. Having once been a borrower and now serving as a board member, I have experienced both sides of that mission. I have seen how one interest-free loan can preserve dignity, create opportunity, and strengthen our community.
The dollars circulate. The impact compounds. The story continues.
And this time, we won’t forget it.
Dr. Jonathan Fellows is Secretary of the Hebrew Free Loan Board. HFL’s William Davidson Jewish College Loan Program offers interest-free loans to Michigan’s Jewish community, specifically for higher education. Applications are open April 1-May 15, and July 1-31. Learn more, and apply online at jewishcollegeloansmi.org. For additional information, contact Katie Wallace at 248.723.8184 or kwallace@hfldetroit.org.
