The Conflict in Sudan: A Jewish-American Perspective
(delivered by Student Rabbi Maayan Lev on May 5, 2023)
I want to tell a story that should be very familiar to all of us as Jews. There was once a brutally oppressive regime, whose capital city sat on the banks of the Nile River. This country contained thousands of workers who were not native to the land, and came from elsewhere. Eventually, these people decided the moment was right to flee the country. Taking only what they could carry, they walked until they reached the sea.
Miraculously, they were able to cross the Red Sea to safety on the other side.[1] But while they were safe, their journey wasn’t over yet. They were still far from home. I’m going to ask you now: “How many of us have heard this story?”
For those who follow international news closely, it seems that the events of the Exodus story have come to life in the last few weeks. But the situation is very different from the one that happened in the Torah, and it’s actually quite unsettling. I’m not talking about what happened to the Jews in Egypt. I’m talking about what’s happening right now in Sudan.
Not enough people in this country are talking about Sudan. Perhaps some of us have heard about the situation on the news, or in an online post, but it’s not something that I feel many Americans are taking the time to learn about, or understand. As human beings, we should all care about what’s happening in Sudan right now. I’m going to be talking about it, though, from a Jewish-American perspective.
While naturally political action or inaction can help or hurt this situation, but this matter is not about right versus left. Moreover, it seems that to the leadership in both traditional American parties, the situation in Sudan is almost trivial.
A brief summary of what’s going on: major fighting erupted in Sudan on April 8 and has essentially continued non-stop, despite numerous official ceasefires.[2] The two groups in direct conflict with each other are the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the powerful militant group, the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, usually referred to as “Hemetti.”
As for who’s right and who’s wrong, it’s not so simple. These two groups entered into a fragile power-sharing agreement following a coup in 2019 that would supposedly finally bring about a civilian-led government in Sudan. Hopes for such a government now seem very faint.[3]
From an international perspective, many of the world’s power players have a vested interest in a stable regime in Sudan. Israel also has major interests in Sudan. Sudan declared its intent to sign the Abraham Accords in 2021, which should have led to peace with Israel. However, due to the political instability in Sudan, the peace process hasn’t been formally completed.[4] We hope that it will be soon.
On the micro level, the streets of Sudan are now ruled by violence and lawlessness, especially in the capital city of Khartoum, which is also plagued by bombs and airstrikes.[5] Hundreds have been killed, thousands have been injured, and hundreds of thousands are fleeing the country.[6] People are without food, water, and electricity. Even the hospitals are closed.[7] Those in Sudan might say to the rest of the world, “What took you so long to notice? Conditions here have been terrible long before this latest round of fighting broke out!” Of course, they would be right….
While the mass exodus of people fleeing across the Red Sea may seem like an event out of the Torah, there are some important differences. It’s not that the people involved aren’t Jewish. G!d made each of us equal, Jewish or not. The issue is the reason these people are able to leave. G!d isn’t miraculously parting the waters. In this case, the people are fleeing in ships to Saudi Arabia. They are being evacuated by forces from other countries, including the US Navy.[8] But they aren’t willing to evacuate just anyone. Only those with foreign passports are being rescued, often having to leave their family behind.[9] Their immediate destination is Saudi Arabia, but only until they can be taken elsewhere. Those without foreign passports are fleeing to neighboring countries, especially Chad and South Sudan.[10] But people in those countries have terrible living conditions, and the people living there have remarked that refugees fleeing there would find life in these countries to be fairly similar to the one they left behind.[11]
Perhaps you can see why I take such a big issue with this as a Jew. The world’s biggest players aren’t doing enough to help fleeing refugees. They are only helping their own nationals! And, as I’ll mention later, our country has even admitted that it has room for refugees should it choose to admit them.
Certainly, as Americans, we have an obligation to evacuate our own nationals who were living in Sudan. But when the only options for the people in Sudan are to risk their lives by staying, or risk their lives by fleeing to a different dangerous country, I’m ashamed that America hasn’t said it would be willing to admit Sudanese refugees. It seems we haven’t learned our lesson from 1939, when America refused to admit the 937 Jewish refugees on the ship St. Louis who were fleeing Nazi Germany. That ship was forced to return to Europe![12] Nearly 30%, some 254 passengers, were murdered in the Shoah. All were traumatized.
Leviticus 19:18 states: “וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ/Love your fellow as yourself.” But less known in that chapter is verse 35, which enjoins us to love the stranger[13] as ourself, for we were strangers in the land of Egypt. In his commentary in this verse, Shadal[14] emphasizes that this commandment was in great contrast to the other nations of the ancient world, which would love only their own people! Shadal specifically connects loving the stranger to loving your fellow as yourself. They are two sides of the same coin.
Judism takes a very clear position about refugees. Rambam says that when war breaks out, a city may only be surrounded on three sides, leaving room for refugees to escape.[15] The psalmist offers:[16] “Hear my cry, o G!d. Do not disregard my tears, for I, like my ancestors, am an alien.”
The Jewish value of welcoming guests is called hachnasat orchim, and, in Genesis 18, Abraham cared so much about this value that he chose to prioritize being a good host for needy travelers instead of having a conversation with G!d! This shows that hospitality and caring for the needy is more important than anything spiritual. G!d is patient. G!d will wait!
So, nu, at the end of the day, what can we do? Well, while it might not seem like much, there’s actually a lot we can do! First of all, we can give tzedakah. With hundreds of thousands of people stranded in Sudan, they need our help to supply them with food, water, and medical care, all of which are lacking right now for them.[17] Even the neighboring countries to which refugees are fleeing are in dire need of these supplies.[18] The United Agency Refugee Agency (UNHCR), UNICEF, and the International Rescue Committee are just some of the many charities to which you might donate. I made a point of donating earlier this week.
Apart from tzedakah, we can also keep talking about what’s happening in Sudan. Let your friends and family know. Post about it online. Talk about it on the phone and in your emails. We can let the people of Sudan know that we are not deaf to their cries.
Finally, while it’s not in our power to admit refugees into this country, it is certainly in our power to make the refugees who are here feel more welcome. We should help them and befriend them, for they are often still oppressed in one or more ways. We Jews know what it’s like to live in a country that sometimes seems unwelcoming to us.
So there are avenues to help, and I hope we go down them. Just because we can’t fix the problem doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still take the time to learn about it. And while we can’t usually solve the problem on a large scale, we can work to make a dent in it, for, at the end of the day, to do the work is a big part of what it means to be a Jew.
Shabbat shalom.
[1] Batrawy, Aya. “Port Sudan Is a Refuge for Foreigners and Families Trying to Escape the Fighting.” NPR.org, NPR, 3 May 2023.
[2] Abdelaziz, Khalid, and Mohamed Noureldin. “Heavy Fighting in Khartoum; Sudan’s Children Caught in Conflict, UN Says.” Reuters.com, Reuters, 4 May 2023.
[3] The Telegraph, and Roland Oliphant. Sudan’s Conflict Explained in 5 Minutes: ‘Lawlessness on the Streets of Khartoum.’ Youtube, The Telegraph, 21 Apr. 2023, Accessed 4 May 2023.
[4] Yaari, Ehud. “The Fighting in Sudan Threatens Peace Efforts with Israel.” WashingtonInstitute.org, The Washington Institute For Near East Policy, 21 Apr. 2023,
[5] “Key Events in Sudan as Fighting Hits 17 Days.” Al Jazeera.com, Al Jazeera, 1 May 2023.
[6] “Sudan Updates: Warring Factions Agree 7-Day Truce, Says Juba.” DW.com, Deutsche Welle, 2 May 2023.
[7] Chutel, Lynsey. “As Hospitals Close and Doctors Flee, Sudan’s Health Care System Is Collapsing.” NY Times.com, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2023,
[8] Ware, Doug G. “Navy Ship Evacuates 300 People from Sudan across Red Sea to Saudi Arabia.” Stars And Stripes, 2 May 2023.
[9] Batrawy, Aya. Op cit (see footnote 1 above).
[10] “Thousands of Sudanese Refugees Arrive in Chad Traumatized, Hungry and Dehydrated; IRC Calls for More Support for Refugee Hosting Communities.” Rescue.org, International Rescue Committee, 2 May 2023.
[11] David, Jacques, and Elizabeth Bryant. “’We Lost Everything’ — Sudanese Refugees Arrive in Chad as Difficult Times Loom.” WFP.org, United NationWorld Food Programme (United Nations), 28 Apr. 2023, and Tondo, Lorenzo, and Marta Bellingreri. “‘Not Safe for Us’: Sudanese in North Africa Warn Fleeing Relatives of Danger.” The Guardian.com, The Guardian, 5 May 2023.
[12] “Voyage of the St. Louis.” The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Accessed 4 May 2023.
[13] The Hebrew ger, often translated as “stranger,” actually refers to the noncitizen (immigrant or refugee) living among us.
[14] Samuel David Luzzato (1800-1865) was an Italian scholar, poet and a member of the Wissenschaft des Judentums (scientific, critical study of Judaism) movement.
[15] Mishnah Torah, Laws of Rulers and Their Wars 6:7.
[16] Psalm 39:13.
[17] Schlein, Lisa. “More Than 800,000 Sudanese Refugees Expected to Flee to Neighboring Countries.” VOANews.com, Voices of America, 2 May 2023.
[18] “Thousands of Sudanese Refugees Arrive in Chad Traumatized, Hungry and Dehydrated…” op cit. (See footnote 10 above).