Coach Bruce Pearl recently stepped down as head coach of the Auburn University men’s basketball team, although he remains affiliated with the university. He will be a basketball commentator for TNT Sports and CBS. In 2022, The Algemeiner named Coach Pearl one of 100 people positively influencing Jewish life, and he has been an outspoken supporter of Israel in its war against Hamas. inFOCUS Quarterly Editor Shoshana Bryen spoke with him recently.
inFOCUS: Let’s jump right in – what inspired you to become an outspoken supporter of Israel and the US-Israel relationship?
Coach Bruce Pearl: Number one: I love my country. I love this country. This country saved my family from the pogroms and from the Holocaust.
My grandfather came here when he was 11 years old in 1929, and he brought his three younger siblings. He became a citizen at 32. And he told me that day was the greatest day of his life.
He made sure that I understood that whatever was to happen moving forward, this country saved our family from certain death.
So, the rest of my life, I’m going to be willing to die for my country in service, if that’s what’s required or asked—or continue to do things, whether it be in education, teaching, working with young people, graduating student athletes, or taking athletes to Israel—to make our country better and stronger.
At the same time, I love my ancestral Jewish homeland. At the same time, we are running out of places in the world where you can live as you can live in this country.
A strong US–Israel relationship has never been more important, because this country has been a place where the diaspora has been able to live and work and achieve and contribute. But even today, when that opportunity is being challenged on both the left and the right, Israel as a lifeboat for the Jewish people is real.
The Maccabiah Games
iF: You were involved with the 2009 Maccabiah Games.
Coach Pearl: I had wanted to coach for Maccabi USA for my whole career. But I was in Division II [Ed. Men’s college basketball grouping] until 1992. I guess I had to wait my turn. I had to earn it.
iF: But you did, and it paid off for them.
Coach Pearl: When people ask, “Coach, rank your championships,” a gold medal in Israel ranks right up there. I took 13 Jewish boys to Israel, and they came home 13 Jewish young men with a much better understanding of their own faith and of how important the state of Israel is to us.
Zionism, Ancestral Homeland, and Social Media Attacks
iF: You called Israel your “ancestral homeland.” People misinterpret that. Why do you think Zionism—that understanding of our ancestral connection to the land of Israel—bothers people so much? Why do people think that if you’re a Zionist, you’re not a good American?
Coach Pearl: I don’t understand it. I get attacked on social media all the time about my advocacy for Israel, to the point where they say, “Look, if you love it so much, if you want to talk about it so much, just go live there.”
iF: And you say?
Coach Pearl: Nothing. One thing I don’t do is respond on social media. I read, I learn, I post, I repost, but I don’t respond. I have no dialogue, I never have, and I don’t plan on it.
My response is to be the best American I possibly can be.
I was never very comfortable with the whole “chosen people” thing, but it’s right there in the Bible. Therefore, I have to live, work, perform, teach, father, and donate to a higher authority. I answer to a higher authority. I answer to God as a Jewish man. I don’t answer to anybody on social media.
And so, the contributions that I can make as an American in the area of education—we have graduated 51 student-athletes in 11 years at Auburn (maybe the most in college basketball)—are me doing my job, in service to our country.
The Bruce Pearl Family Foundation has given millions of dollars to cancer patients in Alabama—not to research, but to patients — through about 10 facilities across the state. We pay for medication or treatment they can’t afford, or, if they’re out of work and they can’t make a mortgage payment, we help.
In addition, we have given over a million dollars to Children’s Harbor through our foundation. In other words, I feel a responsibility as a Jewish American—because this country saved my family’s life—to give back.
America, Race, and Opportunity
iF: You said of former President Obama, “I get so frustrated when I hear what a terrible country we are or how racist we are and how this is not the land of opportunity for everybody.” He’s not the only one How do we make the case that we are not a terrible country; we are not a racist country?
Coach Pearl: We are not. Despite the incredible increase in antisemitism right now on both the left and the right, three Jewish basketball coaches coached in the [college championship] Final Four this year: Todd Golden, Jon Scheyer, and Bruce Pearl.
Don’t tell me this isn’t the greatest country in the world and the land of opportunity.
My point with President Obama is simply this: too often, everything was about race. Too often, the message that I felt like President Obama was sending to my players was, “You can’t do this because you’re Black.”
I don’t want my players to work at Chick-fil-A. I want them to own five of them. And I want them to believe—yes, there are obstacles. There were obstacles to my being a Final Four coach. There were universities in this country that weren’t going to hire me because I was Jewish. Fine. There are others that would.
There are players and families that won’t play for me because I’m Jewish. Fine. But there are others that would. These are not roadblocks; they are obstacles.
No, we’re not perfect, and we’ve got work to do. But we’re still the greatest country in the world and the land of opportunity for everyone.
One of the reasons many people who are Democratic Socialists are also antisemitic is that they hate the fact that American Jewry has done so well in a capitalistic, free-enterprise democracy like the United States.
The laws of this land made it possible for anyone to achieve – which was not true when this country was founded. But, in fact, our founders left religious persecution to find freedom and a new way. Why Jews? theology, history, and community.
iF: Why Jews? Italian immigrants were mostly poor people from southern Italy. And it’s not just Christians and Jews. People from India have thrived. People who fled Vietnam. The haters don’t hate Italians. Irish people left the potato famine; they made it here. Why us?
Coach Pearl: There are some fundamental foundations in historic fact and in the establishment of Christianity that place the Jews on one side, and then Jesus and the disciples and the creation of a new theology for the Gentiles on the other, in Christianity.
As a basketball coach who is constantly trying to bring people together, I look at it differently.
Well, God doesn’t break a Covenant. God has a Covenant with the Jewish people. That Covenant doesn’t just go away with the birth of Jesus. It is grafted in.
To me, that connects us to other people. I’m a coach. I’m trying to bring people together. In other words, as a coach bringing people together, I want to celebrate Jerusalem, where Abraham was, where he was willing to sacrifice Isaac, where they had Ishmael. Abraham is the father of all nations. That connects us.
Are We Going Backwards Theologically and Politically?
iF:You and I grew up 50+ years ago, being accused of killing Jesus. But my kids never heard that. Are we falling back into a theological resurgence of those people? Are we going back to our childhood?
Coach Pearl: Yes, we are. We are absolutely heading back into those times.
The Democrats gave up. The Democrats and those on the left gave up the fight to not tolerate antisemitism in their party. There is a percentage that chose to support Hamas and Israel’s enemies, and I think in many ways the Democrats have given up.
What we’re seeing right now, however, is that the Republicans are in debate, and there is a war [in the party] going on right now. I do not think the Republicans are going to turn their back on Israel. I do not think they’re going to turn their back on the Jewish people.
The Ministry of Coaching
iF: Your focus as a basketball coach has been bringing in young men and helping to mold them into adult men.
They come in at 17 or 18 with whatever experience they have, and they come out as adults. What do you see when you get them?
Coach Pearl: This is the ministry of coaching, and this is why coaches do what we do.
We may love the sport, we may love to compete, we may love “the thrill of victory” and hate “the agony of defeat” —but we do what we do because of this ministry: to see things in young people that they don’t see in themselves.
You can coach them as hard as you love them. And if you love them and you care about them, you discipline them, you hold them to account, you prepare them for life and its challenges, you teach them how to handle adversity, you teach them to make sacrifices for the betterment of the team, you teach them not to be jealous of another man’s success.
And for me, you do it while we’re calling on God and giving God the glory. We ask God, “What would You have us do today and every day? How would You have me lead? ”
I have a real responsibility when it comes to coaching. I’ve got to win championships to keep my job, I get that. But graduating young men, taking them to Israel on a summer tour rather than the Bahamas, and making better Christians out of my Christian players—taking them to the Jordan River where John baptized Jesus, taking them to the Western Wall, taking them to the Holocaust Museum—in other words, we’re teaching and preaching while we’re doing this.
Those decisions have an impact on my young people. We have Bible study. I have a Christian pastor on my team. I’m not trying to “proselytize” Jewish kids. I’m just trying to help my Christian players have a better understanding of their own faith.
Faith, Identity, and Auburn’s Atmosphere
iF: When they come in and have a Jewish coach, are they with you emotionally? Do they say, “Wait a second, this is sports and church is Sunday”?
Coach Pearl: Nope. That’s why they come to play for me.
There are kids who wouldn’t be comfortable with that. Just like there might be some places that wouldn’t hire a Black coach. That’s just how it is. But there are other places that would.
When you come and play for Bruce Pearl, you understand that faith and family are the foundation of our program.
Some parents say, “You know what? We’re not going to Auburn because Bruce Pearl is on social media and all he’s doing is talking about his support for Israel. I want my kid in the NBA and that has to be the whole focus.”
Well, then you’re better off going somewhere else. But guess what? Our kids have gone to the NBA, too. And our kids have won championships, and our kids have graduated. And yes, they will have an opportunity to be in Bible study.
iF: Generally, is the atmosphere at Auburn good for Jewish students, good for people like you who want to promote the concept of religiosity in people’s lives?
Coach Pearl: It is wonderful. The two most popular Jews in Alabama are me and Jesus. It is wonderful, okay?
Because they embrace the Jewish roots of their Christian faith, and for the most part, they support Israel and believe in Genesis – “Those who bless Israel will be blessed, and those who curse Israel will be cursed.” They believe that.
The SEC [Southeastern Conference] and the southeastern part of this country are receiving an enormous number of students. We have 65,000 students applying for 5,000 spots at Auburn.
Israel and Facts on the Ground
iF: You’re making a distinction between their Christian love of Jesus—which stems from roots in our Bible—and a kind of political ideology that says Zionism is bad.
How do you deal with the concept that some of these kids take their Christianity, and on the one hand embrace that, and on the other hand say, “You can’t have an Israel, you can’t have a Jewish state,” or “Israel commits genocide,” or “Israel starves Palestinian babies”?
Coach Pearl: Go with truth. Take the claim of “genocide.” There were about 160,000 Arabs living in Israel back in 1948. Today, there are 2 million Israeli citizens who are Arab. There are 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza, and there are 2 million Palestinians living in Judea and Samaria. That’s 6 million.
So, it’s just not true.
The fact is that Israel and its Arab citizenry are a great example of the diversity, religious tolerance, and acceptance and opportunity for all – Arabs, Christians, and Jews; just like in this country. But that is not the case in the Arab world. That is not the case in [the parts of] Judea and Samaria where Palestinians govern. That is certainly not the case in Gaza.
So, you simply point out the facts. How can there be a woman who cares anything about women’s rights who would not be supportive of Israel versus the Islamic extremist world?
And yet, that’s what it is.
Young People, Social Media, and the American Dream
iF: Do kids talk to you about this—particularly since Oct. 7, 2023? Do they want to know? Or go the other direction: are they so immersed in social media that they don’t have the right questions to ask?
Coach Pearl: There are Christians and Jews who want to know.
The students that I think have the strongest faith—who are in Bible study, going to church, and for Jews, the ones who do Shabbat and belong to Hillel—they really want to know. They want to ask questions. They want to learn about it.
But there is a segment of our population that’s not in church, not in synagogue, and they don’t care. And this is what we’re finding right now, especially the danger with our young people.
Right now, for the first time in many, many years, the American dream is not as easily and readily available to 22- to 31-year-olds. Interest rates are high. Home prices are through the roof. The average first-time homebuyer is 40; 25 years ago, it was under 30.
Young people are vulnerable right now—vulnerable to, “Whose fault is it?” And the Jews and Israel are always going to be looked at as the haves, the winners.
iF: Part of me thinks it may be a good thing they are not so focused on Israel and the war, because maybe they’re less susceptible to Palestinian propaganda. On the other hand, if you are invested and do want to know, one of two things will happen to you: either you’ll come to Coach Pearl and learn something, or you’ll go to social media and have your head filled with garbage.
Coach Pearl: Correct. And it goes back to “Free Palestine.” Who wouldn’t want Palestine to be free? I mean, who wouldn’t want a free United States? Who wouldn’t want a free Palestine? It’s just that they want it free of the Jews, to either kill them or eliminate them or scare them away.
Eighty percent of the Bible was written about things that took place in Judea and Samaria. So, where is this Palestinian state going to be?
I say things like: “Let’s talk about Bethlehem.” We sing beautiful Christmas songs about Bethlehem. We know that’s where Jesus was born. We know there was a very large Christian population in Bethlehem—80, 85 percent—before the Oslo Accords.
Then what? Israel gave Bethlehem to the Palestinian Authority. “You guys have Bethlehem, 20 minutes away from Jerusalem, it’s yours. You can govern it.” What happened to Bethlehem? It’s now 90 percent Muslim. There are so few Christians living there now. Why? Because they were run out.
US–Israel Education Association and Athletes for Israel
iF: You chair the US–Israel Education Association, and you’re involved in Athletes for Israel. Tell us about them.
Coach Pearl: The US–Israel Education Association has been around since 2011.
Our founder, Heather Johnston, was visiting Israel with her husband, a Christian minister, and saw many Russian immigrants. She saw how they were dressed, obviously bringing all their belongings, very little money. She began to study where they’re going to live and where they’re going to go, and what they’re going to do.
And God spoke to her and said, “This is going to become part of your ministry.”
She started taking congressional leaders to Israel in 2011. She had never met a congressman before. She didn’t have anything in the political realm. But she said, “The United States government has got to be a great friend of Israel. This democracy in the midst of all this chaos in the Middle East is important.”
At the time, in 2011, Israel’s Iron Dome [anti-missile defense] was being developed. She was able to get then-Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and a few other congressmen to meet with the prime minister. When the congressmen learned more about what Iron Dome could be, they increased the budget four times, and helped Iron Dome get born, and save lives.
Fast forward to 2025. Our organization has been taking congressional leaders and their families to Israel. We take them to Hebron. We take them to Judea and Samaria. We take them to Ariel.
Because we are not a lobby and we are a 501(c)(3), we were able to do that.
And we don’t just take them over there. We take them to Hebron, where they have met the sheikhs of Hebron, who are right now in discussions about trying to leave the Palestinian Authority, join the Abraham Accords, and become part of Israel.
And she [Heather Johnston] teaches the Abrahamic covenant to these congressional leaders. They don’t just go over there and do the politics. They go over there and have a spiritual journey.
Then, Athletes for Israel: I took my team to Israel five years ago and met Daniel Posner, the founder of Athletes for Israel.
When you ask anybody, “What can we do? How can we help?’ The answer is: People just need to come visit. Bring others to visit. Let them see for themselves.
And that’s what happens. You go there and see with your own eyes the diversity, the color, the freedoms, the beauty, and how much Israelis love the land and are so blessed and grateful to be back in their ancestral Jewish homeland. They see it, they experience it, they feel it—and then they want to go back, and bring others.
By bringing athletes to Israel, we’re expanding our tent. We’re bringing campus leaders—who are athletes—to gain their own understanding.
We brought Arizona and Kansas State to Israel and to Abu Dhabi in a celebration of the Abraham Accords a few years ago. I helped get Yousef Al Otaiba, the ambassador from the United Arab Emirates to the United States, to support that program.
This summer, Athletes for Israel is taking Auburn back. We hope to be taking Michigan, Ohio State, Maryland women, and we took Yeshiva University last year.
iF: Does Athletes for Israel take professionals as well?
Coach Pearl: They’ve taken pros. Amar’e Stoudemire, Ray Allen, and others.
Leaving Auburn (Sort Of) and What’s Next
iF: Now you’ve left Auburn.
Coach Pearl: I’m staying in Auburn. I’m still here. I’m just not coaching the basketball team.
And part of the reason is that my son Stephen Pearl is now a coach. Also, I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I want to teach and preach and do other things—including TV. I’m on television with Turner Sports and CBS right now. I want to be able to do what we’re doing right now.
iF: How do you see your mission for the rest of your life?
Coach Pearl: The rest of my mission is to be a better husband, a better father, a better grandfather. To get closer and spend more time with the Lord, and in prayer.
And Auburn deserves a lot of credit. I don’t know many universities that have coaches who are as vocal about their love of this country and their support for the State of Israel and the fight against antisemitism.
Auburn allows me to do that because I’m expressing my opinion. These opinions and views are mine, not Auburn’s, and they helped create that separation.
iF: That’s a great place to stop, because you gave a really ringing endorsement of an important university—not just in sports, but an important university. People have to know that it’s not all Columbia and Harvard and nasty schools and antisemitism and Palestinian flags.
