Tiktok star Alina Rabinovich (26) Makes sure to regularly share her life with her hundreds of thousands of followers, her work as a content creator for herself and other artists and especially uploads funny videos without filters or excessive editing – ones that she says reflect exactly who she is. But don’t get confused for a moment, her life story is far from being full of laughs and friends.
Alina immigrated to Israel from Russia with her grandmother when she was 6 years old after her mother died of cancer. Her father did not immigrate with them, and did not visit her much even when she was in Russia, Alina never understood why. But when she turned 16, she decided to ask Alina all the questions about her family but she didn’t expect the answers she got.
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Alina found out and understood that she was born as a result of betrayal, her mother was the other woman and her father’s family with whom he lives to this day does not know about her at all. When she was 16 years old and confronted her family with the questions, she received a surprising phone call from her grandmother (her father’s mother) who asked to meet her.
As a girl who immigrated to Israel at the age of 6 alone with her grandmother, how did you see yourself in the future? What did you dream of being?
“I dreamed of being an actress. My parents were actors and knew each other at an acting school, but Because I came here with almost no family and no financial support, I also did not think that anything from what I am experiencing in life today could happen. I was sure that I would always be in a mediocre job, even though I always wanted more… I would always say ‘I wish I could be an actress’ but I didn’t really think it would happen. Today, I suddenly believe that maybe I will also be an actress and maybe I will fulfill the dreams of little Alina. I kind of feel like this is what I’m doing today in life, I’m making little Alina’s dreams come true.”
How was life in Israel as a new immigrant without parents?
“As a new immigrant it was actually fine, because I was always in a doctor’s school from the beginning and in a boarding school for Russians, so I didn’t experience any kind of racism. But without parents it was difficult, always when I would go to my friends and I would see them with their parents buying them things I was really jealous and I would I come home nervous and it also made me very depressed. I always felt so unfair, why do they have this, why do their parents finance their license and it doesn’t happen to me… but I think thatThanks to this, I realized that if I don’t work hard, I won’t get anything. Because of the conditions I had, I had to overcome them and work a thousand times harder than everyone else and that is what made me what I am today, that I am a working animal and I know what I want and I get it. I believe that everything is for the better, I don’t see it as something negative.”
Your relationship with your father was not easy, what was the most difficult moment you experienced?
“My father and I were in touch here and there and at the age of 16 I found out that his family didn’t know about me, that his ex-wife and his parents, my grandparents, didn’t know about me. I found out by accident, when it was leaked to his new wife. It was hard, I didn’t understand it. All kinds of things have become clear to me since then… He had all kinds of pictures at home of his other children and I was never there and I didn’t understand, andThen it suddenly dawned on me that I’m a kind of ‘secret’. I had a big argument with him and it was precisely this argument that opened us to better places, because thanks to the argument he did feel bad, and then he told his mother and his son, who are basically my brother and my grandmother, which is ridiculous. There was no close relationship, because we really live very different lives, I’m here and he’s in Russia, but it was something that was important.”
Do you have feelings of anger towards him?
“As a child I had, but as an adult I really believe that family and blood relation does not necessarily mean that one must be in a good relationship. I believe that you can choose a family and as a person who did not grow up with much family, I have people in my life who are very close to me who are like family to me. For example, my uncle is for me my father figure in life and he is one of the people I love the most in the world. But it didn’t hurt me too much because as an adult I understand that I don’t have to keep in touch with everyone, and it’s okay that you won’t be in the best relationship in the world with your parents if that’s what feels right. We do talk here and there, and yes I would like to travel and visit him in Russia, but because of the situation I cannot fly. We’re fine, he’s just not a central figure in my life.
With hundreds of thousands of followers on social networks, you are currently one of the most well-known network stars in Tiktok Israel. are you digesting
“It’s something that’s a little hard to digest, because it’s not something I ever thought would happen. It’s always been one of those dreams that you don’t imagine will come true. Every time I’m recognized on the street I’m shocked and every time I’m stopped I don’t understand why I’m being stopped and every time I’m stared at it takes me a second . I definitely can’t digest it and I’m trying to get used to it. But when I see people on reality TV and they fall from zero to a hundred, and I built it up a little every day, so I think it’s harder to get used to it that way.”
Do you feel you are getting the recognition? Are you looking for her at all?
“My goal from the beginning was to make as much content as possible that people would like, because I would always laugh at my own content and say ‘wow, how people would laugh if they saw this too’, and then they really started to see it. Recognition is something that is fun , because in the end the recognition you get on the street from people gives you that ‘V’ that you really manage to reach them, because we are used to receiving love in likes and not in reality… and then suddenly it’s in reality in completely different dimensions and it’s amazing.”
Does your father know what you do?
“I did try to explain it to him once, but I don’t think he understands. When he comes to visit me in Israel and walks with me in the mall, I think he will understand. is funny. But it’s nice, because in his childhood he was an actor and somewhere, I feel like I’m following in his footsteps.”
What do you think is special about your content?
“I think I am.” Compared to a lot of girls mainly other Tiktok, I am very simple. I don’t put on makeup, I take pictures in my pajamas, I take pictures when I’m done… I make black jokes and make fun of myself. I can turn anything into content for me, I don’t think too much ‘wait, first I’ll dress and do my makeup… I’ll put on a roller and that’, I just photograph myself as I am and I think people like it because they can identify more, it’s completely authentic . In addition, it’s also because I work in the entertainment industry and I get to photograph a lot of things behind the scenes with laughs and a light atmosphere. I introduce people to a lot of worlds they don’t see, I think people enjoy seeing it. I kind of give them a glimpse, both into my life and into the lives of people I work with.”
Not many know that you started here with us at ‘Frogy’, and this year you came full circle and won the title of ‘Tiktoker of the Year’ with us. How does it feel?
“First of all, this is insane! I also speak Everywhere they ask me ‘where did you start?’ I always say in ‘froggy’. It’s a place that’s really a warm home and a family and makes a school completely for industry and all that stuff. When Moshe (Abutbul, the editor-in-chief) brought me the award, I cried my life out. Like I said, it’s not something I imagined. It felt like a sign saying ‘you’re on the right path, keep going’. It’s something that’s missing, it’s hard work, you’re constantly in pursuit of new content and good content and how to be more prominent, and when you’re told ‘you’re good’ it’s amazing and it’s a crazy closing of the circle.
With a difficult life, do you feel like you won?
“I feel like I won, but QEvery day I get up and have to choose to win again. Even though I supposedly got through the hard parts, and built myself as a person, there are still a lot of difficulties. Even though I’m already an adult, there are still difficulties with the fact that you don’t live with your parents and still suddenly many things arise that you don’t understand about yourself. I feel that every day I choose to win, with the fact that I get up and work and I wish it would be like this for the rest of my life.”
Finally, what are your professional aspirations? What other dreams have you not fulfilled?
“The main thing I wish for myself and ask for in my birthday wishes and with every eyelash that falls is to get a major acting role. I also work very hard for this, I’ve been doing a lot of courses in the last year… beyond the network and acting, I would like to reach as many people as possible and develop my own community, because for me there is no such thing as too much, I want everyone to know and everyone to laugh. I would also like time for myself, and to find time to do simple things like preparing food for myself and going to the gym because sometimes you forget these things when there is a lot of work.”
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