Auburn University men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl, a Sharon native and strong pro-Israel advocate, returned to Boston last week to tour the Nova Exhibition, a memorial to the victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre.
Pearl, 65, has visited Israel twice since the Oct. 7 attack. “We say, never forget. Yet, we’ve forgotten. Even since Oct. 7, 2023 we seem to have forgotten that 1,200 innocents were murdered and raped and tortured and kidnapped. And over 50 were Americans that died that day,” said Pearl.
“And yet, the next day on campuses around our country, we were watching students support Hamas or talk about ‘Free Palestine,’ and not understand that what ‘Free Palestine’ means is free Palestine of the Jews. So Jews aren’t allowed to live in Judea. I guess it’d be like saying the Chinese can’t live in China, and the French can’t live in France, but somehow it’s OK for the world to say that Jews are unable to live in our ancestral home.”
Pearl said once he heard about the Nova exhibit he decided to come to Boston to see it. “I have been to the site of Nova music festival in Israel twice, and when I heard this was coming to Boston, I said, ‘I’m going make a trip up here and see it myself, and see if it can remind me of how I felt when I was actually there on the ground. And in many ways, it did. I hope that everybody in New England will take advantage of this opportunity,” he said.
At the exhibit, Pearl met with some of the Nova survivors who speak at the display. “Just to hear their stories, I can do a better job of telling their stories,” he said.
Pearl, who led Auburn to NCAA Final Four appearances in 2019 and 2025, announced his retirement last week as Auburn coach. His son, Steven, who served as an Auburn assistant coach, is his successor. “I wanted to go out on top. I wanted to go out at a time when I hadn’t lost my edge,” he said.
Pearl considered entering politics and running for Senate in Alabama but has decided against it. He plans to spend more time advocating for Israel. He also chairs the U.S. Israel Education Association and sits on the board of Athletes for Israel.
This year, he observed the High Holidays with his family at a synagogue in Alabama.
“I am thinking about my family, my staff and my team this New Year. I’ve got five grandchildren now. I’m praying for the health and safety of my family,” Pearl said.
Pearl started a high school basketball tournament at Auburn, mostly for Jewish day schools from across the United States. The university will host the third one later this fall.
“It’s great – the Auburn fans don’t often see young people with kippahs,” Pearl said. “They’re like rock stars, and our fans all want to take pictures with them.”
Last April, Pearl was one of three Jewish college basketball coaches to lead his team to the NCAA Final Four. His Auburn team lost to the eventual champion, Florida, in the semifinals. The Gators were coached by a Pearl protégé and fellow member of the Jewish coaching fraternity, Todd Golden.
Pearl was 706-268 as a head coach, having won 10 conference championships and a Division II National Championship.
On Thursday, Pearl had the opportunity to speak at a Jewish day school in Dallas. He opened his speech by saying “God Bless America and Am Yisrael Chai.”
Pearl’s 48-minute speech included strong advocacy for Israel, advice for young Jews facing antisemitism and tips of excelling in athletics and life.
He spoke about experiencing antisemitism during his youth in the Boston area.
“It was disturbing for a young person who was going to be a coach, because my thing was to bring people together and find things that we have in common,” Pearl said. Θ
