Damon Kalvari’s brew too rich for ChaiFM listeners

PETER FELDMAN

Radio presenter Damon Kalvari, who was fired by ChaiFM from its Afternoon Drive Show after only seven appearances, gave his side of the story at a debate in Johannesburg last Sunday, organised by the group Jewish Voices for a Just Peace (JVJP).

The hour-long debate, attended by about 30 people and moderated by comedian Daniel Friedman (Deep Fried Man), was a lively and illuminating affair in which Kalvari revealed why he was fired by station CEO Kathy Kaler. It was not because of anti-Israel or anti Zionist sentiments on air, he said, but because they were receiving complaints from listeners. He also claims his dismissal came without warning.

Kalvari, who has been in the radio business for 21 years, told the gathering: “I started doing the show and kept it very light-hearted and frivolous, and also did some South African politics. It was all slightly tongue-in-cheek. I never said much about Israel, but because of my reputation people were very upset that I was on air.”

He emphasised that he did not hold views on Israel and is not a political activist, though he admits he signed a few petitions here and there. “Back in 2014 when Israel was attacking Gaza I signed a petition which basically said will Israel please stop their attacks on Gaza. At the time my position was that Israel had the right to defend themselves but the situation was like them killing a fly with a shotgun. It was enough already and that was why I signed the petition at the time. I was naive, I suppose.”

Kalvari admitted he wrote several letters to the Jewish Report on the occupation but maintains none of these were anti-Semitic or anti-Zionist. In spite of this, he maintains, there is a perception that because he is critical of Israel or the Israeli government, he is perceived as being anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic.

  Kalvari argued that Israel was created as a direct
  result of the Holocaust which is a sensitive topic,
  and so any criticism of Israel is understood as
  support for the Holocaust. “If you criticise Israel for
  sending missiles into Gaza then you’re anti-Israel
  and anti-Zionist and that, unfortunately, is their
  interpretation.”

  ChaiFM was reportedly very unhappy that since his
  dismissal, Kalvari had, they believed, utilised social
  media to paint the Jewish community, and the SA Zionist Federation (SAZF) as intolerant of views that digress from a pro-Israel narrative.  Before Sunday’s event, Kalvari  had sent an apology to the SAZF for some recent postings that stated that the SAZF and its leadership, particularly its chairman Ben Swartz,  were pushing for Kalvari’s resignation.  However, according to ChaiFM CEO Kathy Kaler, “ This decision was solely mine, based on listener feedback through hundreds of text messages and emails and was not in any manner influenced by the SAZF.”

The theme of the event took the form of a discussion on freedom of expression in the Jewish community. Some attendees expressed the view that the South African Jewish community only accepts Jews who adopt a pro-Israel position and to level any form of criticism of Israel is considered wrong. The point was also made about the need for opening up the Jewish print media to diversity and that discrimination between the Orthodox and Progressive Jewry still continues and needs to be addressed.

One speaker said Zionism is many things to many people and more tolerance is needed when people disagree. Another speaker felts the majority of Jews are so sensitive and emotional that instead of discussing the subject intellectually they level personal attacks. There is a taboo around criticising Israel among SA Jewry, the speaker said.

As the debate hotted up, another speaker voiced the opinion that the real problem about freedom of speech is one of ignorance. People who attack Israel, he contended, have a licence to denigrate or demonise the country without having knowledge and background and think they are “whiter than white”.

The debate ended with people recounting personal anecdotes of how they’ve been affected by taking a stance against the occupation.

Asked for comment after the debate, ChaiFM CEO Kathy Kaler (who did not attend) said: “This is an internal matter between ChaiFM and Damon Kalvari and if he wishes to carry it further, he must take it through the proper channels. ChaiFM will continue to be an independent voice of the community which reports truthfully and reflects a diverse range of views on many topics.”