A Community That Helps Bring Life Into the World
How Hebrew Free Loan of Austin Helped One Austin Father Build His Jewish Family
By Debbie Cohen | March 2026
Late in 2025, Alex became a father.
At 36 years old, having moved to Austin from Massachusetts in 2020, Alex welcomed his daughter Hannah after a multi-year IVF and surrogacy journey that began in 2023. The process included selecting an egg donor, creating embryos, and partnering with a surrogate — and it also included heartbreak.
“The journey involved the pain of losing one of the two viable embryos I had at the end of my IVF process, but fortunately my second and last viable embryo transfer led to a successful pregnancy.”
Today, Alex is a proud single father, holding the culmination of years of hope, perseverance, and community support in his arms.
“It’s hard to find words that express the joy that being a father brings me. The first few minutes that I held my daughter after she was born left me speechless. The love I feel for my child is unlike any other feeling I’ve ever had.”
Alex had always envisioned becoming a parent, even if he didn’t initially know what that path would look like. He explored multiple possibilities before settling on surrogacy as the right choice for him. He shared that when he learned about surrogacy, “I was excited about the experience of having a child that would be genetically related to me and that I could see a little bit of myself through.”
For Alex, building a Jewish family was not just a personal goal — it was a deeply meaningful expression of his identity. A convert to Judaism, he did not grow up immersed in Jewish tradition but chose Judaism intentionally as an adult. That meaning came into sharp focus shortly after Hannah’s birth, during their first Shabbat together. “When I first blessed my daughter on Shabbat I cried and thought far out of what a gift it will be to never miss a blessing on Shabbat for my daughter.”
Alex imagines those blessings continuing throughout her life.
“I imagined giving her a blessing at the different stages of her life; when she is 5 years old and even when she is 50 years old, even if the blessing when she is an adult might need to be made on a phone call before Shabbat.”
Pursuing surrogacy as a single person, however, was daunting from the start.
Beyond the emotional toll, the financial reality was significant. Surrogacy and IVF costs can be overwhelming, and Alex faced additional obstacles navigating the process alone, without insurance support that would have been available under different circumstances.
For Alex, the assistance from Jewish organizations was essential in helping him overcome the financial challenges to becoming a parent, from organizations like Tree of Life Foundation which gave him a grant to help with IVF costs and HFLA with the interest free loan that helped with surrogacy expenses. This financial assistance was especially critical after the first embryo transfer failed — a moment that brought both grief and fear. “I was scared to try with my only remaining embryo.”
Ultimately, Alex chose to move forward, trusting the timeline he had envisioned for his life and family. Alex learned about Hebrew Free Loan of Austin through the Tree of Life Foundation and decided to reach out based on that positive experience. What he found was an organization that balanced compassion with careful stewardship.
Alex found HFLA to be approachable and encouraging while also thorough and careful to help him consider his financial wellbeing. The support from HFLA gave Alex flexibility and confidence at a time when uncertainty was high.
“I had saved a considerable amount towards my surrogacy journey and the additional help from HFLA provided me with breathing room if anything went wrong.”
Reflecting on the impact, Alex is clear that the assistance changed what was possible for him. “I would have either had to go into debt or delay becoming a father had I not had the help of HFLA.”
Beyond the financial relief, the experience reshaped Alex’s sense of belonging within the Jewish community. Alex reflected that he “did not grow up Jewish, and I came to Judaism via conversion. I also did not grow up in Austin or Texas. I’ve certainly thought of myself as an outsider sometimes, but HFLA made me feel like I belonged.”
Today, as Alex holds Hannah, he reflects on the sacrifices the journey required — and how small they feel in comparison. “Becoming a dad was not easy and sacrifices were involved but all the sacrifices and challenges seem small compared to the joy when I hold my daughter in my arms today.”
Alex plans to raise Hannah with a strong sense of community responsibility, shaped by the support he received, and he hopes to pass those values on to his daughter. Alex shared, “Being in community comes with privileges and commitments. I will definitely tell my daughter about the help that TLF and HFLA provided in the surrogacy journey, and I will teach my daughter the importance of helping those in need and participating in the Jewish community and our shared values.”
For Alex, Hebrew Free Loan of Austin represents something enduring — not just a moment of support, but a model for how communities sustain one another.
Late in 2025, Alex became a father.
At 36 years old, having moved to Austin from Massachusetts in 2020, Alex welcomed his daughter Hannah after a multi-year IVF and surrogacy journey that began in 2023. The process included selecting an egg donor, creating embryos, and partnering with a surrogate — and it also included heartbreak.
“The journey involved the pain of losing one of the two viable embryos I had at the end of my IVF process, but fortunately my second and last viable embryo transfer led to a successful pregnancy.”
Today, Alex is a proud single father, holding the culmination of years of hope, perseverance, and community support in his arms.
“It’s hard to find words that express the joy that being a father brings me. The first few minutes that I held my daughter after she was born left me speechless. The love I feel for my child is unlike any other feeling I’ve ever had.”
Alex had always envisioned becoming a parent, even if he didn’t initially know what that path would look like. He explored multiple possibilities before settling on surrogacy as the right choice for him. He shared that when he learned about surrogacy, “I was excited about the experience of having a child that would be genetically related to me and that I could see a little bit of myself through.”
For Alex, building a Jewish family was not just a personal goal — it was a deeply meaningful expression of his identity. A convert to Judaism, he did not grow up immersed in Jewish tradition but chose Judaism intentionally as an adult. That meaning came into sharp focus shortly after Hannah’s birth, during their first Shabbat together. “When I first blessed my daughter on Shabbat I cried and thought far out of what a gift it will be to never miss a blessing on Shabbat for my daughter.”
Alex imagines those blessings continuing throughout her life.
“I imagined giving her a blessing at the different stages of her life; when she is 5 years old and even when she is 50 years old, even if the blessing when she is an adult might need to be made on a phone call before Shabbat.”
Pursuing surrogacy as a single person, however, was daunting from the start.
Beyond the emotional toll, the financial reality was significant. Surrogacy and IVF costs can be overwhelming, and Alex faced additional obstacles navigating the process alone, without insurance support that would have been available under different circumstances.
For Alex, the assistance from Jewish organizations was essential in helping him overcome the financial challenges to becoming a parent, from organizations like Tree of Life Foundation which gave him a grant to help with IVF costs and HFLA with the interest free loan that helped with surrogacy expenses. This financial assistance was especially critical after the first embryo transfer failed — a moment that brought both grief and fear. “I was scared to try with my only remaining embryo.”
Ultimately, Alex chose to move forward, trusting the timeline he had envisioned for his life and family. Alex learned about Hebrew Free Loan of Austin through the Tree of Life Foundation and decided to reach out based on that positive experience. What he found was an organization that balanced compassion with careful stewardship.
Alex found HFLA to be approachable and encouraging while also thorough and careful to help him consider his financial wellbeing. The support from HFLA gave Alex flexibility and confidence at a time when uncertainty was high.
“I had saved a considerable amount towards my surrogacy journey and the additional help from HFLA provided me with breathing room if anything went wrong.”
Reflecting on the impact, Alex is clear that the assistance changed what was possible for him. “I would have either had to go into debt or delay becoming a father had I not had the help of HFLA.”
Beyond the financial relief, the experience reshaped Alex’s sense of belonging within the Jewish community. Alex reflected that he “did not grow up Jewish, and I came to Judaism via conversion. I also did not grow up in Austin or Texas. I’ve certainly thought of myself as an outsider sometimes, but HFLA made me feel like I belonged.”
Today, as Alex holds Hannah, he reflects on the sacrifices the journey required — and how small they feel in comparison. “Becoming a dad was not easy and sacrifices were involved but all the sacrifices and challenges seem small compared to the joy when I hold my daughter in my arms today.”
Alex plans to raise Hannah with a strong sense of community responsibility, shaped by the support he received, and he hopes to pass those values on to his daughter. Alex shared, “Being in community comes with privileges and commitments. I will definitely tell my daughter about the help that TLF and HFLA provided in the surrogacy journey, and I will teach my daughter the importance of helping those in need and participating in the Jewish community and our shared values.”
For Alex, Hebrew Free Loan of Austin represents something enduring — not just a moment of support, but a model for how communities sustain one another.
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Late in 2025, Alex became a father.
At 36 years old, having moved to Austin from Massachusetts in 2020, Alex welcomed his daughter Hannah after a multi-year IVF and surrogacy journey that began in 2023. The process included selecting an egg donor, creating embryos, and partnering with a surrogate — and it also included heartbreak.
“The journey involved the pain of losing one of the two viable embryos I had at the end of my IVF process, but fortunately my second and last viable embryo transfer led to a successful pregnancy.”
Today, Alex is a proud single father, holding the culmination of years of hope, perseverance, and community support in his arms.
“It’s hard to find words that express the joy that being a father brings me. The first few minutes that I held my daughter after she was born left me speechless. The love I feel for my child is unlike any other feeling I’ve ever had.”
Alex had always envisioned becoming a parent, even if he didn’t initially know what that path would look like. He explored multiple possibilities before settling on surrogacy as the right choice for him. He shared that when he learned about surrogacy, “I was excited about the experience of having a child that would be genetically related to me and that I could see a little bit of myself through.”
For Alex, building a Jewish family was not just a personal goal — it was a deeply meaningful expression of his identity. A convert to Judaism, he did not grow up immersed in Jewish tradition but chose Judaism intentionally as an adult. That meaning came into sharp focus shortly after Hannah’s birth, during their first Shabbat together. “When I first blessed my daughter on Shabbat I cried and thought far out of what a gift it will be to never miss a blessing on Shabbat for my daughter.”
Alex imagines those blessings continuing throughout her life.
“I imagined giving her a blessing at the different stages of her life; when she is 5 years old and even when she is 50 years old, even if the blessing when she is an adult might need to be made on a phone call before Shabbat.”