Kosher Debt Help Comes to Canada: an American Program for Families Drowning in Debt Sets up in Toronto

Kosher Debt Help, a U.S. nonprofit program that has pulled more than 1,400 Jewish families out of high-interest debt, has opened its doors in Canada.

The program, a division of the national nonprofit Collective Kindness, works with families that are behind on credit cards, personal loans and and other debt. Its debt experts sit with clients, review every balance and interest rate, and advise them on how to lower payments, waive fees and build a realistic path forward. There is a percentage taken and no monthly charge, just a nominal one-time fee that is waived in cases of need.

In its first year alone, Kosher Debt Help served more than 1,400 families and saved them more than $6.2 million. Most families found the program the old-fashioned way: a friend or relative who had been helped told someone else. Applications now arrive daily from across the country.

A Toronto Vision

The Canadian division was opened through the efforts of Yossi Ostfeld, a Toronto businessman, who had followed the program's growth south of the border and saw the same pressures building at home: rising interest rates, tuition bills, the cost of a large family in an expensive city.

Ostfeld reached out to Shalom Goodman, founder and executive director of Collective Kindness, and a close personal friend. Goodman, a former Wall Street Journal editor who left journalism in 2024 to run the nonprofit full time, agreed to bring the model north. Ostfeld's backing made the launch possible.

"Yossi knew there were many families in need," Goodman said. "He raised his hand and said: Whatever it takes, let's get it done."

Learning a New System

The American playbook could not simply be copied. Canadian credit law, collections practices, consumer proposals and the role of licensed insolvency trustees differ sharply from the U.S., and a debt expert who doesn't know the difference can do more harm than good.

That work fell to Montreal-native Mordy Richler, co-founder of Kosher Debt Help Canada and its lead debt expert. Richler spent hundreds of hours studying the Canadian system, from provincial regulations to how the major banks and credit card issuers handle hardship cases, before taking on a single client.

The preparation paid off. In under a month of operation, Richler and the team have already worked with more than 25 Canadian families.

"Every family that comes to us has been carrying this alone, often for years," Richler said. "The relief when someone finally lays out the numbers and shows them a way out is something you don't forget."

Building Local Roots

Guiding the program's entry into the Canadian market is Benzion Zlotnick, who has been working with the team to connect Kosher Debt Help with local institutions and the families who need it.

"I've been speaking to the team every day for the past month, and we're really seeing the needs," Zlotnick said. "We look forward to offering this as a service to the local nonprofits and to the families that are struggling with debt."

That partnership model is central to how the program plans to grow. Rather than compete with existing community organizations, Kosher Debt Help Canada operates as a resource for them, a place where a rabbi, a school or a chesed organization can send a family that needs more than a one-time grant.

What Comes Next

The team says the first month has confirmed what Ostfeld suspected: the demand is there, and it is largely unmet. The founders expect the number of families served to climb quickly as word spreads the way it did in the United States, from one family to the next.

Families in the Greater Toronto Area and across Canada who are struggling with debt can apply for help at no cost through Kosher Debt Help. Community organizations interested in referring clients or partnering with the program are encouraged to reach out directly.

To apply or learn more, visit kosherdebthelp.ca or WhatsApp Julie, the program's Montreal-based intake coordinator, at +1 (646) 917-0192.