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

