Jeanette’s Enchanted Garden

by Helene Ziman

My mother, Jeanette Paul (from Jenopaulsky), was one of four children born to immigrant parents. In 1918 her mother, Becky, had arrived in Chicago with two small children, Norman and Lena, to join her husband, William, who had arrived a few years earlier.

Jeanette and her younger brother, Art, were born in Chicago and had a difficult life growing up. Their father passed away when she was three years old, and she was primarily raised by her two older siblings. With no command of the English language, my grandmother struggled. With the help of uncles and other family members, the family lived above a store in Chicago. To make ends meet, they made and sold sandwiches on the street. My mom never complained and learned at an early age to make the best of what you have. She always had a positive attitude about life and used to say, “Keep smiling and keep moving.”

At the age of 22 Mom came to San Diego to visit a girlfriend. She was fixed up on a date with my father, Sidney Rubin, and seven weeks later they were married. She told me once that she had not wanted to go back to Chicago, and when my mother made up her mind about something she moved quickly.

Both my parents were active members of the Jewish community for many years and were responsible for many philanthropic endeavors throughout San Diego. They were known for being very friendly and they collected friends wherever they went.

My parents had two children, my brother, Bill, and me. Bill died in an accident at the age of 19. Helene Schlafman, then director of education at Beth Israel, reached out to my parents about the need for a learning center for Beth Israel’s Hebrew School children. The Bill Rubin Learning Center at Beth Israel on 3^rd and Laurel was established and dedicated in my brother’s memory. This Center complemented the work of the Sid Rubin Preschool which had been established earlier at 3^rd and Laurel.

During the construction of Beth Israel’s new complex in UTC, my husband, Allan Ziman, who was president at the time, suggested to my mother that we expand the learning center and preschool into what is now known as the Bill and Sid Rubin Preschool/Early Childhood Education Program at Beth Israel, in memory of my father as well as my brother. This was a perfect way to embrace my parents’ love for their religion and to help bring a guiding, loving program to the younger children at Beth Israel.

My fondest memories of my mother are her warm, inviting smile, her integrity, her love of children, and her good heart. From the time I was a little girl, my mom always had a welcoming home with a beautiful garden. Whether it was her outstanding, aromatic rose bushes, gardenias, the multi-grafted hibiscus tree, her Oriental landscaping, or the magnificent orchids that she cultivated, she paid attention to everything in her garden. Her small but tidy yard always had fruits and vegetables growing, too. She loved home-grown vegetables before organic became trendy, and I have fond memories of washing cucumbers and setting up jars of her famous sweet and sour pickles for friends and family. She was also a great cook and baker, known for her apple pie and apple strudel. Of course, she made everything from scratch using all fresh ingredients.

Mom was also an artist who loved to sculpt and draw. She was part of a group that met weekly to further their artistic interests.

Family came first to my parents and especially my mom. When her grandkids, Stacy and Jared, came along, she made sure I had a small garden for them. She loved to do art projects with her grandkids. She stimulated their lives with traveling, visiting museums, and going to the latest cultural events. Having a well-rounded education was her goal since she could not afford to attend college after high school.

I had been looking for a while to establish something in my mom’s memory, as we did for my dad and brother. When Executive Director Lesley Mills suggested that the Bill and Sid Rubin Preschool could use a new and creative garden, I realized that this would be a wonderful way to honor my mother and nurture young children.

With the help of Jackie Seidman and her landscape company, Jackie and the Bean Stalk, the garden design emerged. The plan is to enter the garden through a white arbor with colorful textures and patterns in the landscape. Creative stepping-stones and colorful recycled tires filled with flowers or fruit will lead the children to a tree with small seats that look on to a magical fairy garden area. From that area will be boxes of organic vegetables grown by the children. And that is how I imagined creating the new garden called “Jeanette’s Enchanted Garden.”