By Sara Appel-Lennon

Retired La Mesa ophthalmologist Dr. Robert Rubenstein and his wife Maria Raftery share a vision to offer tuition assistance to future generations of Jewish students in need.

“I always felt education was particularly important and wanted to make it easier for students to get that education,” said Rubenstein. His dad stressed the importance of education and referred to it as “something you can take with you wherever you go.”

Even though Rubenstein and Raftery attended college without receiving any financial aid, the importance of giving to others financially and through volunteering was ingrained.

As a child, Rubenstein had always volunteered and learned to care about people in his community. He tells of collecting used newspapers for the WWII effort at nine years old. He remembers getting his picture in the newspaper with Governor John Dempsey of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Rubenstein and Raftery are “dedicated donors” in the community. They donate often and generously to Temple Emanu-El, Jewish Federation, and Jewish Family Service, the nonprofit agency in charge of the scholarship’s administrative tasks.

Approximately 20 students apply for the scholarship program annually and about 10 to 13 candidates are accepted. Recipients receive up to $2,500 annually for up to four years. Scholarships are for college or vocational training. One young man, originally from Uganda, received a scholarship to become a fireman and another applied his toward training to be a pilot.

For eligibility, a candidate must: be a United States citizen and San Diego resident, gain acceptance to a reputable college or career training program, and earn a 2.5 GPA in high school or a 3.0 GPA in college. Other requirements are to pay partial tuition; participate in Jewish activities; report annual transcripts and tax returns for each scholarship year of application. Recipients need to interview in person, and commit to give back financially or by volunteering with a charity of choice.

Rubenstein said he hopes once scholarship recipients settle in a profession, they will pay it forward by helping others in their community.

A recent scholarship recipient, Lev Mizan, graduated from San Diego State University in 2015 with a degree in finance and a minor in leadership. Initially he majored in psychology, but changed his major to finance when his parents convinced him to consider the cost of living to raise a family. Although he was at SDSU five years, he received scholarships for four years.

While attending school full-time, Mizan worked 30 hours per week and also volunteered during college with Stand With Us, an organization to educate people about Israel. He also volunteered with Friendship Circle, an organization for Jewish children with special needs. Friendship Circle plans activities for youth to spend time with teenage volunteers so they feel included and accepted.

“You do what you got to do,” he said.

Mizan first heard about the scholarship in 2011 while reading a weekly bulletin from Hillel, a Jewish college organization. While volunteering as a security guard at a Stand With Us rally for Israel, in walked Rubenstein.

“He’s a very influential guy. He does good things. The community is lucky to have a guy like Dr. Rubenstein,” said Mizan. His first impression motivated Mizan to stay in contact with Rubenstein during and after receiving the scholarship.

While attending SDSU, Mizan enrolled in a business development class with professor Craig Stevens. Mizan viewed him as a mentor since Stevens worked in property management. He attended a guest lecture about dressing for success. Thanks to Stevens, Mizan now works for that guest lecturer at a property management company, The Heritage Group. Without the scholarship, Mizan wouldn’t have made the necessary connections to be at the right place at the right time to land his current job.

One of his most heartfelt moments from receiving the scholarship occurred at the annual scholarship recipient brunch. He said “I was part of a community of kids receiving such great help.” In keeping with one of the requirements to pay it forward, Mizan wrote a check for $100 to the scholarship program.

Thanks to Rubenstein and Raftery, 56 students have received scholarships in the six years since the program’s inception. Two-thirds have been women.

Originally, the scholarship was created in memory of Rubenstein’s father. The couple changed its name after their son, David Rubenstein died at age 42 after battling a congenital heart defect for many years. The scholarship is now called Jewish Family Service-David L. Rubenstein Memorial Scholarship.

David was a restaurant owner with an interest in technology in Santa Fe, New Mexico. A family friend referred to him as “little Bob” since he looked, sounded, and had the same sense of humor as his father. David was an easy-going guy whose memorable quote was, “It is what it is.” David’s legacy lives on by providing scholarships to Jewish students in need for future generations. The deadline to apply for a scholarship for the 2016-2017 school year is March 15, 2016. For more information, go to bit.ly/1LCMrB3.

––Sara Appel-Lennon is a freelance writer and former professional clown. Write to her at [email protected] or visit her website at sara-appel-lennon.vpweb.com.