(VINnews) — A podcast host discovered the concept of “Heter Iska”, and misinterpreted it to suggest that Jews get preferential treatment by Rocket Mortgage.
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Harrison Smith, a host on Alex Jones’ Infowars, tweeted a screenshot of Rocket Mortgage explaining that Jews can obtain mortgages that technically do not charge Ribbis (interest), via a heter iska.
Smith tweeted: “Am I missing something here, or do Jews get interest-free home loans from
@RocketMortgage?”
You are missing something here. https://t.co/j6EA8UbJ7v
— Yaakov Langer (@jacklanger) February 4, 2024
Many debunked his false claim, pointing out that while an Iska loan is structured differently than conventional mortgage and from a technical standpoint there is no interest, the terms of the loan are the same as others from a practical standpoint, and it is merely structured as an investment rather than a loan.
The community notes said: “A heter iska doesn’t offer free loans; it changes the terms to align with Jewish law, framing interest as profit, it still functions exactly as a loan that doesn’t have a heter iska.”
Antisemitic lies in 2024. I wonder what would have happened if we had community notes 80 years ago… https://t.co/6AvzCRY2pu
— Hillel Fuld (@HilzFuld) February 4, 2024
It seems that Smith did not bother to research the concept, he simply grabbed the opportunity to spread false claims about Jews getting preferential treatment, which is an absurd claim, because clearly Rocket Mortgage would not be able to sustain a loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest payments from Jews.
Whether Smith was merely being sarcastic, or he believed what he tweeted (and it sounds like he does believe it), he certainly recognizes the danger in his tweet, and how antisemites will seize on his disgraceful tweet to increase their hate and spread it around.
Please note: This article is not intended to reflect an endorsement by VIN News of the Heter Iska of Rocket Mortgage (or any other Heter Iska), as we have no first-hand knowledge of whether it was approved by a reliable Rabbinic authority
Muslim law proscribes interest. Does Harrison Smith think that Moslems get interest-free mortgages too?
tell that guy to shove it
Even if this was accurate, which is not, there are special loans specifically for minorities. Why should Jews not be considered a minority group?
What do you expect from an other hysterical goy?
With no interest there would be no need for a heter iska! Du Dum Dummy Dumbell didle diddle da da!!……
Wow what an ignorant ……
This is quite surprising. First of all, a Heter Iska Mortgage loan does not technically offer any additional benefit to a borrower, as the terms are essentially the same. It is just a matter of restructuring it into an investment. In fact, several large banks and mortgage companies in the US have begun offering Heter Iska loans recently, following the KFI’s (kosher financial institute) work on this project.
Even if there were any perceived benefit, federal banking law specifically authorizes the implementation of special purpose credit programs under § 1002.8, which many banks utilizing Heter Iska loans rely upon.
http://www.kfikosher.org/kosher-bank-directory