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To our knowledge there are no insurance companies or cooperatives or other organisations providing insurance which is specifically run on Jewish principles. However the Halacha does provide some guidance as to general principles which can be taken as guidance. The Halacha is the collective body of Jewish religious law, including biblical law and later Talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions (Wikipedia). Interest appears to be forbidden in Jewish law (Chapter 65 of Halacha-Yomi). This extends from formal interest to "gifts" given before or after a loan or other contract. For situations involving something with a fixed market value it is also prohibited to charge more than that value in exchange for delaying the time when payment is due. Though there are allowances for dealing with interest from non-Jews, there are restrictions such as the case where the guarantor for the transaction is a Jew. Associated Mutual There are examples of traditional mutual insurance companies which started due to the needs of Jewish people, for instance, Associated Mutual was started by a group of Jewish farmers who felt they were treated unfairly by existing insurance, so they started a mutual company to insure such business. Associated Mutual has been providing insurance solutions since 1913. Source: Hassan Scott Odierno, Actuarial Partners More on Jewish Insurance |
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