Bruce Pearl celebrates with his team after defeating Alabama Crimson Tide at Auburn Arena on February 1, 2022. (Michael Chang / Getty Images)
(((JTA) — Auburn University’s men’s basketball team will travel to Israel this weekend for a 10-day birthday-style trip. This is probably the first time for a complete Division I college or team of professionals.
Called “College Basketball Birthplace,” this trip will take you to some of Israel’s most famous historic and tourist destinations, from the West Wall and the Dead Sea to the Yadva Shem Holocaust Memorial Museum, as well as with a team of top Echelon players. Three exhibition games will be held. Of Israeli basketball. The Tigers, who won the South Eastern Conference (SEC) Championship last season, will be the Israeli national team under the age of 20 in Jerusalem on August 2, the Israeli All-Star Select team in Tel Aviv on August 7, and August 8. Will play against the Israeli national team. In Tel Aviv.
The team will also host a basketball clinic for Israeli and Palestinian children with former Jewish player Tamir Goodman, who wore a kipper during DI games and was known to have played professionally in Israel. .. During his visit to Bethlehem, the Tigers will have lunch with the coach of the Palestinian national team.
“If possible, I hope it’s normal. Auburn’s Jewish basketball coach will take over the team to Israel and have lunch with the Palestinian national basketball coach,” said Auburn’s Jewish. Coach Bruce Pearl said in a pre-travel zoom call. With a reporter on Monday. “I don’t know how it works, but I hope it’s nice, normal, and something that people can see and go,’OK, this is possible.’ “
In addition to a stop at the Jewish sanctuary, this trip includes visits to other important Christian places, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Jordan River. New Testament.
“Obviously, we know that Jerusalem and Israel were the birthplaces of religions in almost every world,” Pearl said. “It’s an opportunity to see if they can open their hearts, open their hearts, and feel and hear something special that they will be part of them forever.”
The Auburn team will be accompanied by ESPN’s college basketball analyst Javiras and Jewish ESPN’s live-action announcer Roxy Bernstein. Pairs call the game live on the SEC network.
“This was a once-in-a-lifetime trip and I couldn’t be more honored to be with Auburn, Bruce Pearl and his staff,” Bilas said. “Beyond words, we are excited.”
Bernstein, who first visited Israel with his family four years ago, agreed.
“Given some of the places they see and experience, I think the educational aspect of this would be off the charts for them,” he added.
Pearl is one of the most outspoken Jewish and pro-Israeli coaches in college sports... He co-founded the Jewish Coach Association in March Madness, which hosts an annual breakfast for Jewish NCAA basketball coaches. He considers coaching at the 2009 Maccabiah Games to be a career highlight and will face Auburn in the final four of the NCAA tournament in 2019.
The NCAA team is currently allowed to travel abroad once every four years. The University of Connecticut men’s team visited Israel in 1998, and Toledo’s women’s team and Wheaton’s men’s team followed in 2011 and 2016, respectively. Mr. Pearl said his vision was to make travel recurring and to extend it to the United Arab Emirates. He changed his name to “Abraham Accord Cup” and came to mind. Normalization agreement between Israel and some of its neighboring Arab countries in recent years.
“In other words, how can we contribute to peace in the Middle East? Normalization,” said Pearl. “There may have been times when people thought,’Well, that’s not a very good idea.’ That’s too dangerous. Why do you do that? ‘And that’s why we want to try it. So, as far as our future is concerned, it’s like we’re seeing. “
This article Originally appeared At JTA.org.
