Where is Avner?

Three Netanyahus were in Washington. Bibi, Sara and the miserable son Yair. But where was the good son, Avner? Yair frequently accompanies mommy and daddy on their trips abroad but Avner is nowhere in  sight. Why is he over-looked?  Where is the good son?

On Pesach we sing several songs in the Haggadah. Two come to my mind as most significant. The first is the tale chanted of the “arba banim”… the four sons, each one described by his characteristics.

I suggest that when it comes to the first verse, we should raise our voices in a blessing followed by a curse. The blessing is for the wise son (Avner)  “echad chacham”  and the curse is for the wicked son (Yair) “echad rasha”.

The second song, sung extremely in full force, is “Dayenu”, translated as It’s Enough. Emphasizing God’s graces to the Children of Israel we proclaim that even if He had not done these wonders for us, protecting us from enemies who sought to destroy us, it would have been enough. God’s love for us is everlasting and His eternal love is sufficient.

But this Pesach we should add one verse to the traditional song.  “Tairaid et Bibi mimkomo  kvar. Dayenu”

Cause Bibi to be defeated from his place already. Dayenu!  It’s enough. Ten years too long. Time to go.

Put him on the Aeroflot Boeing that his friend Putin is sending him for a non-stop flight to Tel-Aviv  with all the Stolichnaya that he can drink in order that he may arrive in time to prevent total war from breaking out. Will he be sober enough to make the right decision?

(The one to step down and give his chair to Benny Gantz)

Today Hamas fired rockets into central Israel close to the city of Kfar Saba. One rocket struck a family home in Mishmeret totaling the entire house and wounding seven inhabitants including a six-month old baby.

The government, in Netanyahu’s absence in Washington, has alerted the country to the danger of a full-scale imminent war.  In Tel-Aviv and in my home-town, Rishon Lezion, among other cities, the local mayors have ordered all public bomb shelters to be immediately opened and urged all Israeli citizens to prepare the maamad  (security shelter room)  in their homes.

Netanyahu has been a failure in the defense of Israel. Following Avigdor Lieberman’s resignation, Netanyahu assumed the portfolio of Minister of Defense. He has been a very good prime minister but a total failure as minister of defense.

Israel needs a very strong leader, one who, if war breaks out, will not hesitate to bomb Gaza and reduce it to rubble. Leave nothing standing. Only the sand of the desert. Buildings will be leveled. Civilians will be killed but I shed no tears . I hold them responsible for keeping Hamas and Islamic Jihad in power.

Instead of using their missiles, rifles, guns and incendiary bombs on Israeli soldiers, civilians and cities, they should have risen up en masse as a revolt against their leaders who daily imperil their lives.

One good thing has happened as a result of the news of the Gaza attack . Netanyahu, who was scheduled to deliver his annual address at the AIPAC conference in Washington, will thankfully be unable to do so.  The emergency in Israel calls him home to attend to the affairs of Israel and its people.

He has been involved for such a long time in his own personal  affairs, his pending indictment and trial for criminal activities which, in spite of evidence and testimony of reliable witnesses against him, he continues to deny everything.  He claims to be guilty of nothing.  Probably Sara and Yair told him so.

Because so much of his time has revolved around his own persona, he has forgotten that there are millions of other people living in Israel who are correctly identified as citizens of Israel.  He has put himself first before the welfare of the nation which he was elected to serve.

Get your haggadot ready.  Open to the pages of “Arba banim” and “Dayenu”,  clear your throats with sips of one of the four cups of wine and prepare to sing so loud that wherever you may be, Binyamin Netanyahu will hear you.

It is time.  Bibi must go.  Sara must go.  Miserable Yair must go.  But poor, innocent Avner, wherever he may be, should be welcome in every Jewish home when the door is opened to receive the message of a coming messiah from our prophet Elijah . Avner will be our honored guest !

And while we happily proclaim “L’shana ha ba-a b’Yerushalayim” (next year in Jerusalem where we already are)  the Netanyahu family will sing “L’shana ha ba-a b’Caesarea”…. Next year at home in Caesarea !

Chag samayach  l’Avner ha yakar.