Singer Givati Lavi Gabai Finds New Love After Two Failed Marriages
Israeli singer and actress Givati Lavi Gabai has opened up about her personal journey through two failed marriages, a wedding canceled a week before the ceremony, and the fear of opening up again, which ultimately led her to a new relationship with David.
Her experiences have inspired her one-woman show, "Third Time Growing Up." Gabai, who grew up in a religious Zionist home in the West Bank settlements of Alon Shvut and Alon Moreh, initially dreamed of becoming a social worker. However, her talents in singing and acting emerged early, influenced by her mother's involvement in a women's theater group. Despite early success in school plays, she viewed performing as a hobby, intending to pursue social work.
Gabai's romantic life proved challenging. After marrying in her early twenties, her first marriage ended despite efforts to save it, leaving her a mother of two young children and fearful of future relationships. She later became engaged again, but canceled the wedding just a week prior, citing feelings of intensity and control in the relationship, which left her traumatized.
Through self-awareness workshops and therapy, Gabai began to understand her patterns of people-pleasing and difficulty listening to her own needs. A conversation with Rabbi Rivka Shapira helped her view her experiences within a broader generational context of "exiting exile to redemption." She eventually shifted her focus from finding a partner to finding herself, leading her to therapy aimed at connecting with her inner child.
This internal work prepared her for a new relationship with David, a divorced father of four. Gabai describes their connection as immediate and feels their shared journey of self-reflection contributed to their bond. Her experiences have culminated in her one-woman show, "Third Time Growing Up," which explores not only her personal story but also the struggles of over twenty other religious and ultra-Orthodox women who have gone through divorce, addressing themes of loneliness, societal judgment, and faith crises.
