WASHINGTON (JTA) — Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, endorsed the Iran nuclear deal, becoming emotional as she described the pressures she felt in arriving at her decision. The congresswoman, one of the Democratic party’s most prominent and senior Jewish members, first announced her decision on Sunday in a five-page statement released to the Miami Herald and then published on her website. In an interview Sunday with CNN, Wasserman Schultz verged on tears as she described making a decision “as a Jewish mother.” “There’s nothing more important to me as a Jew than to ensure that Israel’s existence is there throughout our generations,” she told Jake Tapper. Wasserman Schultz has made her Jewishness a hallmark of her congressional career; in 2006, in her freshman term, she led passage of a bill marking May as Jewish American Heritage Month. She described in the CNN interview how over the last two years the White House hosted her for 20 top-secret briefings in its situation room, a signal of the importance President Barack Obama attached to her support. Her consideration had been under intense scrutiny by the media and fellow lawmakers. Her South Florida disctrict is heavily Jewish. In the Miami Herald Op-Ed, Wasserman Schultz called her decision “the most difficult decision I have had to make in the nearly 23 years I have served in elected office.” She also said her support for the deal is “one that is deeply personal. Iran’s leaders routinely call for the destruction of the United States, the nation to which I have dedicated my life to serving. Iran’s leaders are also virulent anti-Semites and call for the destruction of Israel, the historic homeland for me and millions of other Jews.” Her decision brings to a majority the number of Jews in Congress — 15 out of 28 — who back the deal. Eight oppose it and five remain undecided. Wasserman Schultz on Thursday appeared in South Florida with Vice President Joe Biden, who was stumping for the sanctions releif for nuclear restrictions deal brokered in July between Iran and six world powers. Last month, Wasserman Schultz reportedly prevented consideration of a resolution at the party’s summer meeting that praised President Barack Obama and offered backing for the Iran nuclear deal. Powered By WizardRSS.com | Full Text RSS Feed