WASHINGTON (JTA) — A Miami synagogue canceled a planned address by U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) said the cancellation had to do with internal synagogue politics. Synagogue president Ben Kuehne,a Miami attorney, had attributed the cancellation to security concerns.
"I believe strongly that in a democracy people should be able to hear from and interact with their elected officials, which is why I gladly accepted Temple Israel’s invitation to speak as I have previously to many organizations and religious institutions throughout South Florida," she said. "It is unfortunate that some would allow politics to stand in the way of citizens’ ability to interact with their representative."
A prominent member, Stanley Tate, had resigned from the synagogue after he learned that Wasserman Schultz would be talking about Israel following Friday evening services. Tate, 85, a philanthropist and the co-chair of presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s campaign in Miami-Dade County, reportedly was upset that he would not get an opportunity to offer a Republican rebuttal, according to The Miami Herald.
"She’s the chairperson of the Democratic National Committee," he told the Herald. "The topic is the U.S.-Israel relationship. There cannot be any conversation on that topic, none, unless it has to do with the politics."
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