by Shelly Tenenbaum
The ways we were
Eva, a widow with six children, needed a loan to buy chickens for her poultry business. Esther, married to a Hebrew teacher, sought $200 to purchase machines for her gym and bathhouse. Clara, a peddler who was married with three children, needed capital for her line of trade. Mary, separated from her husband and a mother of five, required merchandise for her electrical supplies store.