34 | NOVEMBER 16 • 2023 
J
N

B

race yourself for a 
cheesy story!
Rivka Rabinowitz 
and Brian Jacobs always knew 
each other — in the way you 
know other kids from around 
town. Both born and bred in 
Southfield, Brian attended 
Southfield-Lathrup and Rivka 
attended Akiva Hebrew Day 
School, now Farber.
Even from as young as age 
4, Rivka knew who Brian was. 
He was that 12-, 13-year-old 
boy who would often pop into 
Rivka’s parents’ drugstore, 
M&M Drugs in Oak Park, to 
buy candy to sell to his friends 
in school.
Years later, as a teenager, 
Rivka helped Soril Sharon 
open Jerusalem Pizza in 
Southfield, and they soon 
hired Brian as store manager. 
Brian and Rivka got to know 
each other quickly — but 
not in a saucy way. (Sorry, 
couldn’t resist!) 
“I didn’t even remotely 
think of Brian like that,” said 
Rivka, who dated others at the 
time. Brian was even engaged 

to someone else for a few 
years. 
In 2000, Rivka went to 
Israel for almost two years. 
When she returned home, 
she “kneaded” dough, so she 
picked her job right back up 
at Jerusalem Pizza. 
“I didn’t plan it, but Brian 
and I started hanging out … 
and one thing led to another,” 
Rivka said. 
After six months of dating, 
Brian and Rivka got married 
in March 2003. (Or we could 
say, “Another one bites the 
crust!”) 
Of course, after making and 
selling pizzas together for the 
Detroit Jewish community for 
the past several years, they 
knew practically everybody 
and invited almost 700 people 
to their wedding. For shtick, 
guests danced around the 
bride and groom with empty 
pizza boxes.
“It happened so fast, it was 
kind of cool,” Rivka said. 
Now 20 years later, Brian 
and Rivka are parents to 
Gabriella, 19, who’s attending 

Binghamton University in 
New York, where she stud-
ies business (“Maybe she’ll 
take over the pizza store, one 
can hope,” laughs Rivka); 
JJ, 18, who’ll be attending 
Binghamton in the fall to 
study nursing; Elianna, 16, 
who’s in 11th grade at Farber 
Hebrew Day School; and 
Daniella, 4, who’ll be attend-
ing Farber soon. (“And she 
controls everybody!” laughs 
Rivka. “Daniella made the 
boredom not so boring any-
more!”) 
Brian, the familiar local 
kosher pizza man, is, accord-
ing to Rivka, a doting all-girls 
dad, often taking his daugh-

ters shopping and out to get 
their nails done. (Top that!)
“And it wasn’t in the plan 
at all, but, of course, we still 
have the pizza shop!” laughed 
Rivka, who’s actually a dental 
assistant by trade. Pizza is part 
of the family; their kids have 
come in to the store from 
birth and helped behind the 
counter as soon as they were 
old enough. 
The Jacobs are pizza afi-
cionados and have branched 
out with all kinds of exotic 
flavors most people wouldn’t 
have thought to incorporate 
as pizza toppings, including 
cholent, breakfast, barbecue, 
cashew and falafel, and are 
always thinking of new ways 
to thrill pizza-loving locals. 
(Tip from the wise: Never put 
ketchup on your pizza. You’ll 
see in Heinz sight, it won’t be 
a good idea.)
However, you slice it, Brian 
and Rivka’s “how we met” 
story is a reminder that a hap-
pily ever after doesn’t always 
start with hearts melting all 
over the place but can develop 
over time when conditions are 
just right! 

This column will appear biweekly. If 

you’d like to share your ‘meet-cute’ 

story, email burstynwithjoy@hotmail.

com.

OUR COMMUNITY

‘Kind of Cheesy’

ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

HOW WE MET

Rivka Rabinowitz and Brian 
Jacobs on their wedding day

Rivka and 
Brian Jacobs

The Jacobs family

