Auburn head basketball coach Bruce Pearl traveled to Washington, D.C. on Monday to meet with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) in a show of support for Israel in its ongoing war with Hamas.
Joining Pearl on the trip to Capitol Hill was the Mountain Brook-based U.S. Israel Education Association (USIEA).
Pearl is Jewish and a staunch supporter of Israel. The coach has been outspoken in support of Israel's ability to defend itself as the nation has come under attack from terrorist organizations.
After the meeting, Tuberville posted a tweet saying, "Antisemitism has ZERO place in our society–whether it’s on a college campus or ANYWHERE."
Antisemitism has ZERO place in our society–whether it’s on a college campus or ANYWHERE.
— Coach Tommy Tuberville (@SenTuberville) July 8, 2024
Grateful to meet with members of the @_USIEducation and my good friend @coachbrucepearl earlier today. pic.twitter.com/wueEhSI8Pg
On Tuesday, Pearl thanked Tuberville "for standing with Israel over terrorism."
Thank you for your courage Senator Tuberville, for standing with Israel over terrorism! https://t.co/sKZ7YCdQRh
— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) July 9, 2024
Over the weekend, the coach posted on Twitter that he is so vocal in support of Israel because he is a coach and wants to educate people that "Israel's enemies are terrorists who hate Jews more than they care about their people!"
RELATED: Auburn basketball's Pearl, staff show support of Israel in season opener
Good Sunday morning! I get asked why I often tweet about Israel? Im a coach so I educate! I retweet stories that I believe to be true, biblically, historically and in reality. Israel's enemies are terrorists who hate Jews more than they care about their people! https://t.co/trJfUh6XU5
— Bruce Pearl (@coachbrucepearl) July 7, 2024
Monday was not the first time Pearl and Tuberville had collaborated to condemn antisemitism, especially on college campuses. Tuberville read a letter from Pearl last year during a Senate roundtable addressing the rise of antisemitism on college campuses.
"College rhetoric is full of misinformation," Pearl wrote in 2023. "Students need the facts and the history that underpins it. They need exposure to people from different backgrounds. They also need opportunities to come together to find common ground through prayer, spirituality, and honest dialog. That is how we end this cycle of hate and eradicate genocide. The unwillingness of universities to publicly condemn Hamas for their genocide and hostage-taking breaks my heart."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email trent.baker@1819news.com.
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