Shaina Gershovitz, 28, an entrepreneur, content creator and host of the podcast “100% Natural,” says her breakup with former partner Tamir Golan became a public spectacle when he entered Israel’s “Big Brother.” Gershovitz, who says she has a community of more than 250,000 followers, discussed the experience on Ynet’s weekend magazine podcast “The Taproom.” She said they had been together for two years and split several months before he entered the house, and she did not know it was coming.
She described watching the entrance episode in shock, then seeing entertainment coverage identify her as his ex. “I’m not in those worlds,” she said, adding that she despises reality TV and never wanted to take part in the show. Golan’s opening line about planning to fall in love on “Big Brother” made the situation especially painful, she said. Still, she said the experience eventually helped her move on, and she later followed the show in order to stop avoiding it.
Gershovitz said the hardest part was seeing Golan begin a relationship with Tal Titu and being compared to her. She said she could have exploited the attention by doing interviews, posting stories and appearing at events, but avoided that because she did not want a new audience “riding the wave.” She added that her breakup with Golan was not marked by anger or hatred, but by love, which made it harder, and said they later met and talked after he read on a podcast a message she had sent him after the breakup.
She said that confrontation was deeply emotional, even causing a panic attack when she heard Golan publicly read her message while she was abroad. After they spoke, she said, she felt released from the ordeal. Gershovitz also said she was born into a religious family from Bnei Brak, grew up in the settlement of Hashmonaim with 11 siblings, and later drifted away from strict observance after her army service and time abroad, while keeping what she considers the positive parts of religion.
