Tree of Life Rabbi Jeffrey Myers declined to blame anyone for the shooting at his synagogue despite hints from a CNN anchor that President Donald Trump is to blame.
During a Monday interview on CNN, anchor Alisyn Camerota asked Myers if he blames anyone “beyond the gunman” for Saturday’s shooting that claimed the lives of 11 congregants.
“I don’t really foist blame upon any person,” Myers said. “Hate does not know religion, race, creed, political party. It’s not a political issue in any way, shape, or form. Hate does not know any of those things.”
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“What lights the match of hate?” Camerota pressed.
“I think you’re raising one of those great questions that people far smarter than I can answer,” Myers replied. “I do recall this: if we look in the Bible after the story of the flood and Noah, God regretfully says to Noah, ‘I have learned that man from his youth is prone to evil,’ which is, you would think, a horrific thing for God to tell us.”
“The message I get from that is, yes, there is the possibility of hate in all people. But there is also the possibility of good,” the rabbi added.
Camerota returned to the topic of blame toward the end of the interview. The CNN anchor asked Myers if Trump would be welcome in his synagogue after the shooting, suggesting that Myers might be angry with the president.
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“The President of the United States is always welcome. I am a citizen, he is my president,” Myers declared. “He is always welcome.”