The culmination of a
5-year-old promise.

W

hen Brian Jacobs’

brother announced
he was engaged, there
was no question he and his fam-
ily would make the drive from
their home in Southfield to the
wedding in Cleveland, where the
bride and groom live. It was also
“
a given” that a 5-foot-plus llama
would be there, too.

“When my brother told me
there was going to be a llama at
his wedding, I wasn’
t sure it would
really happen and didn’
t think
about it again — until I saw it,
”
Jacobs said.
Plans to invite the fuzzy, long-
necked guest go back five years
to when the bride’
s brother,
Mendl Weinstock, teasingly told
his sister he would be bringing
a llama as a guest when she
decided to get married. To get
him to stop hassling her, Riva
Weinstock told him to go ahead

with the all-in-fun plot.
Through the years, Mendl
reminded Riva of his promise.
He called a llama farm the very
day she became engaged to
Jacobs’
brother, former Detroiter
Avi Eisenberg, last October.
Not backing down despite
Riva’
s hopeless pleas, Mendl
agreed to a compromise. The
llama would be invited, but the
bride would pose with him for
one photo only and would nei-
ther touch nor even stand next
to him.
And she stuck by her con-
victions, making a deliberately
disinterested expression for
the camera. But other guests,
including the Jacobs family,
made no such promise for their
actions at the March 1 festivi-
ties.
“Joining the line to have our
pictures taken with it became
a big priority,
” said Jacobs,
who owns Jerusalem Pizza in
Southfield with his wife, Rivka.
They attended the wedding with
daughters Gabriella, 16; JJ, 15;
Elianna 13; and Danniella, 8½
months. “Danniella even sat on
his back for one.
”
Gabriella, too, said her first
thought after hearing about the
llama was to get her parents and
sisters and pose for pictures.

“While I was getting my hair
and makeup done, I heard the
bridesmaids come back into the
room talking about it,
” she said. “I
had to run out and see it. When
I saw it, I didn’
t believe it. It was
a llama. In a tuxedo. And it had a
kippah on!”
Jacobs said his brother was
aware the surprising guest and its
two handlers would be attending
the wedding, but he did not know
it would arrive in formal attire,
specially commissioned by Mendl.
“The llama was more dressed up
than I was,
” Jacobs said.

Even though llamas are thought
to be well-socialized, very friend-
ly and even fun animals, Shocky
the llama’
s photo shoot took place
outside. Inside, two giant inflat-
able llamas were placed on chairs
at the bride and groom’
s table.
Photos of Riva, Mendl and
Shocky have been shared in print,
on TV
, online and through social
media, including one on reddit.
com that has received more than
159,000 upvotes, all of which
helps spur the bride’
s need for
payback on her brother.
For Elianna Jacobs, though, it
makes her think of the excitement
of a longtime plan. “
At my wed-
ding,
” she said, “I’
m going to have
a cool surprise and make it go
viral, too.
”

SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

COURTESY JACOBS FAMILY

26 | MARCH 19 • 2020

Jews in the D

Riva, looking intentionally unamused, poses with Mendl and Shocky.

NEW IMAGE PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF RIVA WEINSTOCK

JJ, Danniella, Brian, Elianna, Rivka and Gabriella Jacobs with
Shocky the llama.

Behind that
Yarmulke-Wearing
Llama at the Wedding

The Story