Players from one of college basketball’s most prominent teams took part in a baptism ceremony in the Jordan River. The Auburn men’s basketball team visited multiple historical sites in Israel, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which tradition says was the site of Christ’s empty tomb.

The team’s official social media account posted pictures of the baptisms. A tweet said, “Today, we shared a special moment with each other.” Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, who is Jewish, has called the tour a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.

“My players are going to see their Judeo-Christian roots, and for those who want to get baptized in the river Jordan, they will,” he told The Jerusalem Post. “They’ll walk in the garden where Jesus walked, and they’ll pray at the Western Wall. And they’ll experience firsthand God’s presence in the Holy Land. Just come and see it; you’ll be changed forever.”

Auburn’s official Twitter account also showed the team touring the Dead Sea, the Western Wall, Bethlehem, and the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Museum. Pearl often discusses his Jewish heritage. During a news conference in March 2022, he mentioned the festival of Purim and the book of Esther.

This morning we visited the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Museum. We listened. We learned. We grew.#WarEagle pic.twitter.com/p9ncoNbmS8

— Auburn Basketball (@AuburnMBB) August 3, 2022

“I’m very proud of my Jewish identity and not afraid to put that pride on full display even though there are many times where – because of antisemitism – it wouldn’t benefit me personally or professionally,” Pearl told The Post. “I’m active politically, speaking out publicly on antisemitism, racism, and other issues of intolerance. I take the words ‘never again’ very seriously.”

During the trip, the squad honed its skills against top Israeli competition in front of local fans, visited spiritual sites, coalesced as a team, and gained an understanding of Israeli culture and history.

The visit from the Alabama program marks the first time a Division I men’s team has toured Israel in over two decades and the first-ever visit by a program from the Power Five conferences, the elite level of US college sports. The trip billed as “Birthright for College Basketball” has been years in the making. Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said he has long dreamed of bringing his team to Israel on an international tour, which the NCAA allows college teams to take once every four years.

Beyond the tour’s content, the Auburn coaching staff stressed the significance of the preseason trip for the team’s development. International tours have long been an opportunity to meld as a team and as teammates, said Pearl.