Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl is in Israel at the site of the Nova Music Festival near the Gaza border, where Hamas initiated a terror attack on October 7, 2023, which resulted in nearly 400 deaths and many more injuries.

Pearl, who was recently named chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association's board of directors, sat down with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News to discuss his visit to Israel, a place he openly supports given his Jewish background.

The coach explained that visiting the Gvura Forum, a group of bereaved families calling for total Israeli victory in Gaza, was important to him.

"I'm a proud American Jew who happens to be a basketball coach in the United States. I'm a Zionist and I'm a truth-teller. And it's important for me to come here and listen to the families of the soldiers who sacrificed and gave their lives to simply protect the people here in the State Israel," Pearl told the outlet.

"This war needs to be finished, and this madness of Israel having to defend itself from terrorists who want to kill everybody here has got to end. It's got to end," he continued. "And I'm hopeful that once that ends ... we're going to have peace and prosperity for everybody."

Pearl, who has been very vocal in support of Israel, said his visit to see the bereaved families gave him even "greater conviction."

"Hearing stories from the parents of 30-year-old sons and daughters who had their entire lives in front of them and don't regret it at all because this is what they wanted to do, they were willing to give their lives for their people and for the State of Israel."

"The truth needs to be told," he continued. "We said never again, but somehow we lost some of that momentum at some point, and after October 7, it's back."

Pearl admitted he does pay a "price" for openly supporting Israel, but said it was "nothing compared to the price of these soldiers laying down their lives."

"I'm a basketball coach and I'm Jewish, and it's not the most popular thing, and maybe I might not get some recruits because there's some antisemitism, but that's OK. It's no price to pay for standing up for what's right, for what's good. This is what God commands us to do, and we are his chosen people," he explained.

While visiting the site of the music festival, where there are memorials for those who were murdered, Pearl urged Hamas to surrender or "be completely destroyed."

(h/t Arutz Sheva-Israel National News)

To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email [email protected].

Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.

NCF Fishers Farm730 CMP Article Bottom