Tufts – Feinstein International Center

Fleeing persecution, discrimination, and lack of economic opportunities, thousands of Eritrean, Sudanese, and other sub-Saharan African asylum seekers arrived in Israel’s cities after making a dangerous crossing through Egypt’s Sinai desert. Despite exclusionary national policies and intense anti-migrant rhetoric at the national level in Israel, South Tel Aviv became a bastion of inclusion and diversity. Levinsky Park, the Tel Aviv Central Bus Station, and other sites became epicenters of migrant integration, activism, and volunteerism. The report’s authors bring two unique perspectives: one is a male Sudanese asylum seeker, and the other is a female Jewish immigrant to Israel who grew up in the UK.