Rabbi on The Sidelines - Bruce Pearl (Final Four Special)

This week, Judaism and sports intersect significantly, as three of the four coaches in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four are Jewish. The top team, the Auburn Tigers, is coached by Bruce Pearl, who previously led the US Men’s team in the 2009 Maccabiah Games and brought his Auburn basketball team to Israel with Athletes For Israel in 2023. Over the past weekend, during a press conference, he called for the release of hostages held by Hamas and extended an invitation to Edan Alexander's family to attend the game. Earlier this year, Rabbi Sherman had the opportunity to interview Coach Pearl on the Rabbi On The Sidelines podcast, where Pearl discussed his Jewish journey, his connection to Israel, and his courage to speak out to millions watching sports.