Jewish Free Loan Association Offers Interest-Free Loans to Wildfire Survivors with support from a grant from the California Community Foundation

With support from a grant from the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund, JFLA has stepped up in a major way

LOS ANGELES, July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On a stunning Malibu cliff overlooking the vast Pacific, artist Myra Burg had lovingly filled her home and work studio with gorgeous paintings, ceramic sculptures and the heartbeat of her life's work: hundreds of cones of fiber and other supplies to create cylindrical tapestries of iridescent hues and varied textures.

And then it was gone. All of it.

Burg's home was destroyed in the Jan. 7 wildfires that swept through Malibu and Pacific Palisades, along with Altadena and Pasadena. In a flash, she lost her home and priceless personal treasures, like her father's tallis, a Jewish prayer shawl, that was to be handed down to her brother. She lost her business – her airy studio with a stunning bathroom, finished art pieces and $250,000 in supplies and equipment – none of which was insured, as her home had been.

But Burg is moving forward with plans for recovery, thanks in part to the Jewish Free Loan Association, a nonprofit that offers interest-free and fee-free loans to help people with urgent financial needs. The Malibu artist received a $50,000 small business loan, which has helped her begin to replenish her supplies and start work again in a temporary studio space her brother created for her in his home.

"This loan completely saved me," Burg said. "It put me back in business."

With support from a grant from the California Community Foundation's Wildfire Recovery Fund, JFLA has stepped up in a major way to provide financial assistance to wildfire survivors. The association offers no-cost loans in keeping with biblical mandates not to charge interest and extends the services to people of all backgrounds who live in Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. 

First established in 1904, the association's initial loans helped people buy sewing machines and produce pushcarts. Over the years, loans have gone to help people resettle after World War II, rebuild after the Watts Riots, begin new lives after fleeing the Iranian Revolution and the fall of the former Soviet Union. They've supported those needing help with payments for medical, dental and mental health bills, student loans, housing, car repairs, pet care, adoptions, funerals. 

All told, JFLA has about 3,000 loans currently issued totaling $21.5 million. The maximum for personal loans is $15,000; for small businesses, $50,000. Educational loans are capped at $10,000, but are renewable annually for full-time students. Two guarantors are generally required who legally agree to repay the loan if necessary but the default rate is less than 1%. 

"We are really the perfect antidote to help people get through what I like to call the speed bumps on the road of life," said Rachel Grose, JFLA executive director.

But the January wildfires created an epic crisis. When Grose saw video footage of flames consuming homes, destroying neighborhoods and leaving thousands of people in need, she knew she had to act – quickly.

"I just knew in my gut that this was going to be a disaster of a proportion we hadn't seen," she said. "I knew there would be a need for loans. I wanted to put money in people's hands quickly."

She reached out to her largest donors and within hours had "very large commitments" from several of them. Within a month, she had raised nearly $2 million – including $150,000 from the California Community Foundation.

But there was another pressing issue. In order to give fire survivors quick help, Grose said she asked the board president and executive committee to suspend the requirement for two guarantors. They agreed. 

"I said, 'It's a moment and we need to rise to the moment,'" Grose said. "This was a risk for us but we're not a bank. We're here to support people and help people and I wanted to get money into people's hands. And we did."

To date, the association has disbursed more than $1.9 million in 111 loans to individuals, families and small businesses who survived the wildfires that devastated parts of Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Altadena and Pasadena. In a follow-up survey, nearly 97% of recipients said the loans helped them return to pre-wildfire levels of stability. But most said they are still recovering from a loss of income or jobs, housing challenges, mental health struggles. 

One family in Altadena, for instance, received a JFLA loan to rebuild their home of 20 years and repurchase everything lost – clothing, furniture, and other essentials while they lived in an apartment during the restoration process. 

Michael Marylander received a $25,000 JFLA small business loan after his massage studio went up in flames in Pacific Palisades – just a few days after opening. On Jan. 7, Marylander recalled, he saw fire in the nearby Santa Monica Mountains and dozens of fire trucks roaring through the neighborhood. 

He decided to close for the day, but said he never dreamed the flames would reach his business, The Massage Place, on Sunset Boulevard. When someone told him the next morning that the wildfire had gutted a supermarket across the street, he thought it was a joke.

"And then we realized it was all gone. The neighborhood is gone. Probably 99% of our customers don't live in Palisades anymore," he said, as he sat near the site of his destroyed business, which has been cleared of debris with only concrete steps remaining. 

More bad news hit when he learned that his insurance did not cover wildfires. A loan application to the U.S. Small Business Administration got mired in red tape and was initially denied. But his mother heard about the JFLA and Marylander was able to receive a loan after about a month. He is using the funds to support another newly opened Massage Place site and is uncertain how quickly Pacific Palisades will recover and whether he will reopen in the neighborhood. 

"It's been a nightmare, but I'm grateful for the loan," he said. "It was the first financial aid I got."

Burg, too, appreciates the JFLA loan and other help she's received as she makes plans for a new home and studio with optimism and perspective. Yes, it pains her to lose so many precious possessions but it's just "stuff." Yes, the loss is huge but so is the opportunity to build back better – this time with a robust fire suppression system she hopes will never be needed. And compared with her ancestors who fled the Nazis and saw their families murdered, she said, she has much to be grateful for. 

"No, this was not devastating. This is an opportunity," Burg said. "As my father said, 'Nobody gets out of life unscathed. I get to rebuild."

Media Contact: Gilien Silsby, 213-500-8673 or gsisby@calfund.org

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SOURCE California Community Foundation