Hoops & The Holy Land
The Invitational Basketball Coaches' Fellowship, an immersive 8 day journey connecting high school and competetive travel team coaches with game, leadership, and life in Israel.
The Challenge
A Critical & Timely Moment
Rising Antisemitism
Antisemitism is escalating fast, especially among youth, and is increasingly showing up across demographic lines, including within Black communities. Misinformation, social media, and peer networks are helping harmful ideas spread quickly. Its effects are real: hatred is hardening, relationships are breaking down, and young people are being pulled toward harmful ideas before they have a chance to question them.
A Meaningful Opportunity
There is a real opportunity to strengthen understanding and connection between Black and Jewish communities, particularly among the next generation. To do this effectively, we must focus on where influence is truly formed and who young people trust, not only online, but in their everyday lives.
The Void
Where Beliefs Take Root
In many communities across the country, a growing number of young people are being raised without consistent father figures. That absence leaves a void, not just in guidance, but in identity, discipline, and direction.
The Absence
Fatherlessness leaves young men without consistent examples of manhood, leadership, and direction.
The Coach Steps In
One role consistently rises to fill that void, the coach. A trusted voice, mentor, and the most consistent example of leadership in many young men's lives.
The Reach of Basketball
Hundreds of thousands of Black youth compete in high school and travel basketball each year, spending countless hours forming relationships that extend far beyond the game
The Coach as a Catalyst
For many young men, their basketball coach is not simply an instructor. He is a mentor, a trusted voice, and often the most consistent example of manhood and leadership in their lives.
The influence these coaches carry shapes not just athletes, but future fathers, leaders, and citizens.
The Program
The Fellowship: Bridging Divides, Strengthening Leaders
The Hoops & The Holy Land Fellowship is an 8-day immersive trip to Israel that gives coaches the chance to advance their coaching abilities, open new doors for themselves and their players, expand their network, gain firsthand understanding rooted in truth, and take part in a once in a lifetime experience. The Fellowship is built on three core pillars that shape every aspect of the journey.
The Experience
Three Pillars of the Fellowship
Game
A focused look at Israeli basketball, its unique style, competitive structure, and the latest advancements in sports technology. Gain insight into the experience of American players competing professionally in Israel.
Leadership
Intensive workshops on navigating coaching challenges through a global lens. Refine your command of team culture, tactics, and performance to elevate your impact on and off the court.
Culture & Faith
Full-spectrum immersion from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. Walk through the land of the Bible, visit sacred sites, and engage with Israel's diverse populations, including Black Israeli communities.
Cultural Immersion
Experiencing the Holy Land
Faith and sport have always been deeply intertwined. For many coaches and athletes, the values that define great competition — perseverance, sacrifice, brotherhood, and purpose — are the same values rooted in faith. Israel is where those values were first written down, lived out, and passed on to the world.
Faith Shapes Champions
The greatest coaches understand that winning is built on character. Faith gives athletes a foundation that no loss can shake and no victory can corrupt.
Walking Where It All Began
To stand in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, or the Sea of Galilee is to connect with the origins of the values that have guided generations of leaders, coaches, and communities.
Common Ground
Black and Jewish communities share deep traditions of faith, resilience, and community. This journey creates space to discover that common ground — and build on it.
An 8-Day Immersive Journey
Day 1
Arrive Tel Aviv
Settle in and orient to the city — welcome dinner and program kickoff
Days 2–4
Workshops
Basketball drills, leadership labs, and meetings with Israeli coaches and sports professionals
Days 5–6
Explore Jerusalem
Visit sacred sites, engage in meaningful dialogue, and experience the land of the Bible firsthand
Days 7–8
Community Engage & Depart
Connect with Black Israeli communities, reflect on the journey, and return home transformed
Coaches will return home equipped with firsthand experiences and meaningful relationships, replacing misinformation with lived understanding they carry back into their gyms, locker rooms, and daily interactions with student-athletes.
The Journey
A Journey of Discovery
The Fellowship creates powerful moments of connection, fostering mutual understanding and respect through shared experiences on the court and at ancient, sacred sites. Coaches engage in deep learning, both in basketball tactics and cultural immersion.
These experiences bridge cultural divides, allowing participants to gain firsthand perspectives that challenge preconceptions and build lasting relationships.
Who We're Looking For
Participation Is By Invitation Only
We are seeking leaders who meet the following profile:
Community Pillars
Influential community pillars and strategic visionaries with a proven track record of mentoring inner-city youth.
Beyond the Box Score
Coaches who lead beyond the box score, dedicated to developing elite leadership and character in their players.
Global Mindset
Leaders who possess a global mindset and are dedicated to bringing international perspectives back to their programs.
Participation in the Hoops & The Holy Land Fellowship is by invitation only. Request an invite at info@hoopsandtheholyland.org
Our Partners
Built on Trusted Partnerships
Project MAX is dedicated to fighting racism, antisemitism, and intolerance through sports, using the universal language of athletics to build bridges across communities and generations.
The mission of the K.W.O.E. Foundation is to initiate change in underserved communities by leading the path for today's youth by promoting ownership of their actions, reject violence, and make wise life decisions.
Strong Voices is a nonprofit organization focused on deepening the connection between non-Jewish, faith-based communities and Israel. Through a range of initiatives, it shares authentic firsthand perspectives and creates meaningful opportunities for engagement, fostering understanding, and lasting relationships.
Join the Conversation
This initiative is designed to equip coaches with firsthand experiences and meaningful relationships that replace misinformation with lived understanding, perspectives they will carry back into their gyms, locker rooms, and daily interactions with the student-athletes they coach, while building stronger relationships between Black and Jewish communities across the United States.
We would welcome the opportunity to share more and explore how you might be involved.
🤝 Partner With Us
Investors and community partners welcome to join the initiative.
🏀 Nominate a Coach
Know a leader who fits the profile? Reach out and make a referral.