Selling Ice to Eskimos – Bilha Koninsky
By Avi Marshak, all-round judge

I wanted to tell you about Bilha of Zefat, the artist and breeder who single-handedly drives and operates the Israeli Belgian Shepherd Club.

Although the Israeli Kennel Club regulations define a breeder as any person who has a bitch that has whelped once, Bilha is the only breeder of Groenendael and Tervueren in Israel who has been breeding continuously for many years.

Lately, Bilha did the impossible – she sold a Groenedael bitch, Charisma, to Belgium – that's like selling ice to Eskimos. Belgium is the source of the breed; one usually imports Belgian Shepherds from Belgium, not the other way around.

Charisma has had a fantastic career and has gained the titles of World Winner, European winner, Dutch, Luxembourg and French champion. The bitch has aroused the interest of Europeans and at every international show people flock to see the bitch from Israel.

The fact an Israeli exported Groenendaels to Belgium caused some to raise their eyebrows, however, in light of the success she has been having – eyebrows have returned to their usual place. The collective memory of Belgian Shepherd aficionados has managed to assimilate the existence of a successful Israeli breeder, Bilha.