Yemema “Mimi” Papish Seligson was born in 1915 in New York City to Russian-born parents (both from Pinsk, now part of Belarus).  Before settling in Brookline, she lived in Brooklyn, Far Rockaway, and Woodmere.  As the daughter of immigrants, education was of the utmost importance.  Seligson went to Hunter College, Cornell University, and Columbia University to graduate with her bachelor's degree in 1935 and New York University, where she earned her master's in 1941.  She worked in the education field as a reading specialist in the Boston area and as a third-grade teacher at Oak Hill Elementary school in Newton, Massachusetts.  For one year, Yemema taught Hebrew at Brandeis University.  Additionally, Seligson volunteered for Hadassah, Hebrew College (where she taught English to Russian immigrants), Girl Scouts, and the World Organization of Workers (WOW).  Seligson was a member of Temple Israel since 1945 and has taught Hebrew and Sunday School for over twenty years.  She married Isaac Seligson, a social worker, in November 1936, and they had two children, David and Elizabeth.