Beyachad library: Fine’s attack on Marcia Parness is out of line

Ronny Silbermann

I am appalled and disgusted as I have no doubt the majority of readers are, at the unfounded and unacceptable attack on Marcia. The basis of the attack which relates to the financing and responsibility of the library, is surely the duties of the management of the Zionist Federation?

Maybe Fine does not know that the Zionist Federation has a board of honorary officers who are elected at its conference and who give up there valuable time for their dedication and love for Zionism and the State of Israel.

The honorary officers are Fine’s employers and perhaps she needs to be appraised of Marcia’s dedication to our cause over the past approximately 50 years.

Marcia grew up in youth movements, holding various responsible positions and over the years with her multitude of duties with not only the Zionist Federation but also WIZO and the Women’s Zionist Council, she attained the honour of life president of the Women’s Organisation and senior vice chairman of the Zionist Federation and finally honorary president.

I wonder whether Fine has any idea of the history of the library and who the late Isie Maisels was and why the library was named after him.

I wonder whether Fine has any idea of how beautiful the library was, with partridge wood furniture, in the original De Villiers Street building and how painstakingly every shelf and book was moved to Elray Street in 1993/4, subsequently to be replaced by metal office shelves.

I wonder whether Fine has any idea of the dedication and expert knowledge people of the past such as the late Solly Yellin and the late Dr Moshe Natas and Marcia to name a few, brought to the library?

Most importantly, does Fine know that as an employee she has no right to malign an honorary officer in the public forum?

She correctly states that Isla Feldman is the director and if Isla has issues with statements made by Marcia, it is for her to address them in the correct forum.

I believe that the time has come for us not to criticise dedicated people with nonsensical matters of who did and did not finance the library; we should rather be concentrating our efforts on promoting our homeland, the State of Israel.

Johannesburg