WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden said Wednesday he used a poor choice of words when he referred to unscrupulous moneylenders as “Shylocks,” and a prominent group that fights anti-Semitism called it a teachable moment about the harmful effects of stereotypes.

Biden had been speaking to a legal aid group on Tuesday when he discussed the need for foreclosure mediation services, recalling how his son, Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, heard about the problem from U.S. troops while he was serving in Iraq.