Beginning in 1948, over 3 million Jews from Europe and the Arab world have found refuge from anti-Semitism in Israel, including over 1.5 million Jews from the former Soviet Union seeking freedom of religion, over 14,000 Ethiopian Jews escaping famine and political unrest, and the last Jews of Baghdad, rescued just prior to the outbreak of war in Iraq.

As a Jewish state, explicit in its mission of serving as a haven and homeland for the Jewish people, Israel guarantees citizenship to all Jewish people, according to the criteria established by the Israeli government.

But should the State of Israel serve as a haven to non-Jews in need? Since 2003, government-backed militias have been carrying out a genocidal campaign against the civilians of Darfur. To date, over 400,000 people have lost their lives and 2.5 million have been displaced. Over 300 of the refugees from this ongoing genocide have sought harbor in Israel, overcoming enormous odds to arrive in the State. Refugees have testified that they witnessed the murders of their families and neighbors. Those who made it traveled for days without food or water in hot desert conditions by day and freezing cold at night, and many who came to Israel via Egypt faced persecution and danger.

When these refugees arrived in Israel, the IDF picked them up and placed them in prison. Because the Darfurians are citizens of Sudan, a nation which is an enemy of Israel, the Darfurians cannot legally seek citizenship there. Israeli Foreign Minister Mark Regev has indicated that although the government acknowledges the struggles that these refugees have undergone, they remain illegal aliens from an enemy state. The government has acknowledged that the violence in their homeland makes deporting the refugees back to Darfur impossibility and that these refugees who share a common enemy with Israel must be treated under a different set of standards.

As of late February, 90 of the 300 refugees had been released due to active lobbying efforts by humanitarian groups throughout Israel, and specifically, the Committee for the Advancement of Refugees from Darfur (CARD). Many are doing well, and Israeli non-profit organizations are helping advocate for a systemic change that would allow Israel to absorb more Darfurians seeking asylum.

As we approach Passover recall our 40 years of wandering through the desert, it is our hope that those with the power to effect change in Israel continue to succeed in helping the victims of the genocide in Darfur find the freedom that we all deserve.

It is our hope that this Passover, those with the power to effect change in Israel will recall our 40 years of wandering through the desert in pursuit of a land where we can be free. It is our hope that these victims of the Genocide in Darfur, who also fled a land of persecution, can find freedom in the Promised Land.