From a Mediaite piece titled “Debbie Wasserman Schultz Tries to Walk Back Comments on Jewish ‘Intermarriage’“:
Democratic National Committee chairman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz is now trying to walk back comments she made against the “problem” of intermarriage of Jewish people with gentiles.
“We have the problem of assimilation. We have the problem of intermarriage,” said in leaked audio obtained last week by Shark Tank blog. “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.”
In a statement through the DNC, the Florida Democrat stepped back from those comments a bit: “I do not oppose intermarriage; in fact, members of my family, including my husband, are a product of it,” she wrote.
She provided additional context: “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.”
Those intermarriage comments were not the only controversial ones to emerge from the audio tapes: The Democratic lawmaker also went after the progressive cable news channel, MSNBC, for its “biased” coverage of Israel. “Where is the balance?” she asked. “Where is the spotlight on what Jewish children in Israel go through from being victims of rocket attacks?”
If you can stand the stereotypical shrillness of her voice, here’s the audio, containing both her ‘intermarriage’ and ‘Israel-bias’ comments:
