Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz Retracts Comment on ‘Problem of Intermarriage’
by JNS.org
JNS.org – The head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), retracted recent comments she made on “the problem of intermarriage” in the Jewish community.
The Shark Tank blog first reported Wasserman Schultz, who is Jewish, had said at a Jewish Federation event, “We have the problem of assimilation. We have the problem of intermarriage. We have the problem that too many generations of Jews don’t realize the importance of our institutions strengthening our community—particularly with the rise of anti-Semitism and global intolerance.”
This week, Wasserman Schultz backtracked, releasing a statement through the DNC that she does “not oppose intermarriage.”
“At an annual Jewish community event in my congressional district, I spoke about my personal connection to Judaism and in a larger context about the loss of Jewish identity and the importance of connecting younger generations to the institutions and values that make up our community. I do not oppose intermarriage; in fact, members of my family, including my husband, are a product of it,” Wasserman Schultz said, NBC News reported.