[For the non-Yiddish crowd, 'shepping nachas' can be roughly translated as a combination of deriving great pleasure from something and being extremely proud of someone... for example; when a friend or loved one does something exemplary.]

I was poking around Israel21c's blog; Israelity (to which I am nominally a contributor) the other day when I stumbled across a nice piece written by my friend Harry about Israel's contributions on the microbrewery front.

Granted, when most people think of Israel, beer is not the first thing that comes to mind.  In fact, IMHO the stodgy old Gold Star and Maccabi brands are only barely palatable when icy cold and on tap... and untouchable when served in a bottle or can.   But in the past couple of years the trend towards small, hand-crafted brews from family-run microbreweries has started to take hold here in Israel.

Zahava and I actually had a little advance glimpse into this eventuality because while we were going through the preparations to make aliyah (over 5 years ago) we met a couple about our age who were also preparing to move to Israel.  The husband, David Cohen, had been a small batch brewer in the states and was planning to open his own micro-brewery after they made aliyah.

[I'll admit... at the time I made a mental note; 'Stay in touch with these people!' ]

Zahava and I bumped into David and his lovely wife at several pre-aliyah lectures and events run by Nefesh B'Nefesh in New York, and were delighted to find that they were scheduled to be on the same flight as us for the permanent move to Israel. 

Most of the other people we knew on the flight had more 'typical' plans for their professional future; accountants, lawyers, doctors, marketing, etc.  But David, the micro-brewer with his hip goatee and signature bandanna, stood out as an individual... even a bit of a rebel... amongst the rest of our tame aspirations.

Once we were settled in Israel (hmmm, let's see if I can write 'settled' without getting trolled?), Zahava and I went about getting set up professionally.  I found a position in Israel's aerospace & defense industry and Zahava established her own Graphic Design company (called Zatar Creative). 

Somewhere along the line David Cohen and Zahava got back in touch because his micro-brewery plans were being fast-tracked and he needed to develop a logo for his new endeavor; Dancing Camel Brewing Company, Ltd.

Obviously I wasn't involved in the creative process that led to Zahava's final design of the cool logo which graces some of the best beer in this part (or any part, for that matter) of the world.  But I found it fitting that the scruffy camel she placed in the logo wore David's signature bandanna:

Now five years down the aliyah road, Zahava and I are (B"H) established professionally and feeling less and less like new immigrants every day.  And I have to admit that when we go into an upscale restaurant and see Dancing Camel beer on the menu, I shep some serious nachas. 

Obviously I derive a lot of pleasure from seeing a logo my wife designed gracing a quality brand.  But I also love seeing a fellow immigrant living the aliyah dream and making a name for himself here in such a short time.

If you haven't tried Dancing Camel Beer, I highly recommend any of their delicious hand-crafted brews.  And if you are stuck in the 'winery tour' rut when making plans for your next outing with friends or showing family around when they come in from abroad, I suggest you look into a tour at Tel Aviv's Dancing Camel Brewing company, Ltd. instead.

It is located at Hataasiya 12, in Tel Aviv and can be reached at 03-624-2783... or by email at [email protected].

When you run into David, tell him you're friends of ours.  It probably won't get you a free beer (hey, who knows... maybe it will!), but if you tell him that Dancing Camel is the official beer at chez Treppenwitz, it will certainly earn you a smile.