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Bruce Pearl, the head coach of the Auburn Tigers men’s basketball team and chairman of the U.S. Israel Education Association, mourned the killings of two Israeli Embassy staffers after a Capital Jewish Museum event on Wednesday night.
Pearl appeared on OutKick’s “Don’t @ Me with Dan Dakich” and said he was on Capitol Hill on Wednesday night talking about Jewish Heritage Month before the shooting occurred.
“There’s a tremendous rise in antisemitism. We’re going to overcome it,” Pearl said. “This was just a young couple, two diplomats just getting ready to start their life. The young man had a ring and was just getting ready to ask this beautiful girl to marry him and start a family. And that’s all gone right now because of, quite frankly, just the lies. Just the lies and incredibly awful propaganda.”
Pearl said he believed that when anti-Israel agitators march in the streets or college campuses and chant “free Palestine,” it really meant that they want to free it from Jewish people.
“When they say, ‘free Palestine’ – what they mean is free Palestine of the Jews. Free Palestine of your friend coach, Bruce Pearl. … That’s what this is all about,” he said. “If you were to sit there and call for an intifada or if you were going to be calling for the death to the Jews, just replace the Jews with the word ‘Christians’ or ‘Blacks’ or ‘women’ or anybody, where in the world do you get to get out there on a street … I believe in free speech so you know what, you get to do that here in this country. But we got to take them seriously now. We got to take them at their word. Just terrible to see that tragedy in D.C. last night.”
Pearl lamented the “lies” being told about Israel – whether it was on college campuses or in the media.
However, the college basketball coach did not think the shooting would be a tipping point for those protesting against Israel.
“I don’t know that it can. I don’t know that we’re at a tipping point at this right now. In three days, it’ll be over, and we’ll be on to whatever is next,” Pearl said.” You go to Washington, D.C., and you got Jewish congressmen and senators that are Democrats that are gonna take a certain position and a certain side of things because politically we’re lining up in such opposition – we’re Americans! And it’s fine that we got different ways of looking at things, but no, I don’t see this thing changing very much.”
Yaron Lischinsky, an Israeli, and Sarah Milgrim, an American, both worked at the embassy and were about to be engaged before they were shot and killed at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, according to Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter.
Washington, D.C. police identified the suspect as 30-year-old Elias Rodriguez, who was taken into custody after the shooting attack. He was allegedly seen pacing outside the museum before he approached a group of four people, including the two victims, and opened fire. Rodriguez then reportedly went into the museum where he was detained by security. He allegedly shouted “Free, free Palestine!” while in custody.
The NFL’s Washington Commanders were among those who condemned antisemitism.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic murders of two young Israeli diplomats outside the Capital Jewish Museum,” the team said. “Antisemitism and hate have no place in our society, and we join the entire DMV in offering our thoughts and prayers to the families of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgri. May their memories be a blessing.”
Fox News’ Rachel Wolf contributed to this report.
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