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The Marzouk family. Photo credit: Jason Andrew

Plainview, NY - For two years Dan Marzouk was commuting 2 1/2 hours each way from Linden, N.J., to his job at an insurance company in Centerport, and he and his wife, Atara, wanted to move to Long Island.

So when they found out the Young Israel of Plainview Orthodox synagogue was offering an interest-free $25,000 loan to young families that move into the area and join the synagogue, it was the final nudge they needed.

“The icing on the cake was the incentive program they offer,” said Atara Marzouk, 30, a mother of four. They moved to Plainview in mid-October, and while the money wasn’t the only factor, “it helps.”

Synagogues around Long Island and the rest of the country are offering similar incentives - sometimes even more generous ones - as they seek to boost membership amid tough economic times. Incentives have included outright grants, free membership in the synagogue, or free tuition at a local yeshiva or Jewish school, where the costs can run as much as $20,000 a year, said Frank Buchweitz of the Manhattan-based Orthodox Union. At the Young Israel of Oceanside synagogue, for instance, a program offering interest-free loans or grants of up to $20,000 has helped attract about three dozen families over the past few years, including many who became leaders in the synagogue, Rabbi Jonathan Muskat said.

“Everyone is realizing, especially in a bad economy, that it’s easy for a community to hit a wall” when it comes to growing, said Elie Weissman, the rabbi at Young Israel of Plainview. “A loan can mean an immense amount” to people.

The loan program at his synagogue started last year when an anonymous donor offered $500,000 to provide $25,000 loans to 20 families. The donor, a family that belongs to the synagogue, made the offer because they had an interest “in seeing the community grow,” said Ariane Eisman, a member of the synagogue’s new families incentive committee, which administers the program.

The loan is given only after a family closes on their house, so it cannot be used for the down payment, she said. But it can be used for other things, such as updating the house or paying tuition for a yeshiva.

The program is “not really an effort to help people buy homes,” Eisman said. Instead, it is a way to get the word out about the synagogue and give prospective members an extra incentive to move in. Recipients have 20 years to pay it back. They also get a $1,000-a-year discount on membership fees of $1,261 a year for 10 years (plus the first year free), as well as a $2,500-a-year discount at the local yeshiva.

So far, the synagogue has approved the loan for two families that have moved in, and for two others that plan to resettle in Plainview. To be eligible for the loan, a family must first pay a visit to the area during the Sabbath, attending Friday night and Saturday services while being hosted by synagogue members. It’s a chance for both sides to see if it is a good fit, Eisman said.

The synagogue, which has about 180 families, has not been losing membership, but simply wants to grow, Weismann said. Synagogue leaders hope that as the loans are repaid, that money can be used for new loans to help more families come.

Any houses new members buy must be within walking distance, about a mile or less.

The Marzouks’ four-bedroom Cape is about a half-mile from the synagogue. Atara said other things that attracted them were the community’s kosher butcher and pizza place, and the general warmth of the congregation.

She said the family plans to use the loan to redo the house’s floors and kitchen cabinets - and keep some in the bank for future needs. The program “is a great thing,” Dan Marzouk said. “It really opens up and expands your options.”

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