Hasidic Actor Walks Off Natalie Portman Movie

First he couldn't hold Natalie Portman's hand - and now a Williamsburg Hasidic Jew-turned-actor has to give up his chance to hit it big in a Hollywood movie. Abe Karpen, 25, a married father of three, was cast as Portman's husband in "New York I Love You," a film composed of 12 short stories about love in the five boroughs. "I am backing out of the movie," said Karpen, a kitchen cabinet salesman. "It's not acceptable in my community. It's a lot of pressure I am getting. They [the rabbis] didn't like the idea of a Hasidic guy playing in Hollywood. "I have my kids in religious schools and the rabbi called me over yesterday and said in order for me to keep my kids in the school I have to do what they tell me and back out," Karpen said. While news of Karpen's withdrawal sent waves of disappointment through the movie set, the Hasidic community was up in arms over Karpen's acting gig - forcing him to flee for the weekend, a friend said. Keep reading how "the community wants to kill him" -or- See the photos of Karpen and Portman filming that caused the uproar -or- See photos of Portman made up for an Indian wedding, also from the film

Comments

[davy]

Religion/judgement Where is love and kindness and WHY would anybody possibly think God loves one religion more that another. Keep selling those cabinets, the old men have stolen your dreams.

[starboymikey]

Sound to me like this actor was not properly "vetted" before being offered the job. Oh, well, back to the drawing board.

Personally, I would gladly work with Natalie Portman and hold her hand in public.

[MagisterLudi]

On related subject of intolerance.

Egyptian actors union are now planning investigate and punish an Egyptian actor for participating in the movie with HORROR OF HORRORS... a Iraqi- Israeli actor.

They discovered that Amr Waked, who starred in Syriana, was in Tunisia filming a series on Saddam Hussein's life opposite Yigal Naor, an Israeli of Iraqi descent.

"We found out Amr Waked was participating in a movie with an Israeli artist and so when he returns from abroad he will be investigated," union chairman Ashraf Zaki said.

INVESTIGATED??!

Ah, homo ecce homo...

[victoria]

He is an idiot. He shouldn't have even contemplated being an actor. Hasidic Jews are Orthodox. Not Reform or Conservatilve. An acting career would be forbidden. They have lots of other very strict rules. As an example, women pray on one side of the aisle and the men on the other in the Temple.

[whiteathame]

Being Hasidic is a 24/7 propositio­n....a chasid must comply with the tenets of their community 24/7. It's a bit like being a cloistered nun, a monk living in a monastery or an Amish person living in an Amish community. You live by the community's rules or leave the community.

[Anim8me2]

It goes a lot farther than across the aisle.
In some cases the women are on a balcony or separated by a wooden slatted wall.
They generally are not permitted to read the Torah.

[trinity]

I don't know a lot about the Hasidic Jewish community, most of my Jewish family members are more middle of the road. They remind me a story on NPR the other day about orthodox Jews in Israel who have traditionally lived in the heart of the cities. Many are now leaving for the suburbs. Much of the suburbs are more moderate, and the orthodox men have taken to terrorizing women who they feel are not "modest" enough. Women have been beaten by these mobs. I guess the orthodox feel they have the right to push "their" brand of Judaism on their new neighbors.

[JMEB]

Surprise, surprise - a religious zealot ruins the artistic process.

Can't they hire a normal person to pretend to be Hasidic? Isn't that how acting works?

[PDXTransplant]

Yal, just like in Footloose when religion and the minister kept Bacon and the other kids from having their school dance - so Bacon had to practice dancing in the barn alone. It was horrifying.

I thank god I am an Atheist. and it's shit like this that validates it for me. Religion to me is a bunch of made up bunk.

[mscreant]

You thank god you are an atheist? LMAO

[TheHandyman]

Keep laughing! Note that he said "god'" not GOD. There is a difference. One is an expression while the other is an imaginary BEING!

[szlevi]

That was the pun in case you couldn't get it... :roll:

[woundedduck]

Did the Hasidic dude read the script before showing up on set? He could have made up his mind before screwing up the movie's schedule. Jeez. Rookie. Oh, and it's good to see that Catholics aren't the only ones who have a-holes for religious leaders.

[BigBagel]

Is Rev. Hagee a Catholic? Pat Robertson?, Obama's guy? The Ayatollah Whatever?

[WriterGuy]

No, but William Donohue and his Catholic League is pretty out there. Not to mention all the Archbishops who covered up pedophile priests for half a century, like LA's Roger Mahoney.

[szlevi]

Exactly. As much as I hate the disgusting coverups of the Pedophilic Catholic Church, those complete nutcases in American sects are downright frightening when you look beyond the sheer idiocy they spread. The mot frightening part is that most of the candidates were from one of these nutcase AMerican sects... this and with Bush still in power talk about a nutcase country...

[GalaxieGal]

How would reading the script have helped? His elders and neighbors are harrassing him and threatening to kick his kids out of school. Maybe if they would have read the script?

[nyboomer]

I am fascinated by the notion that the powers that be in that community will punish the children if they think the father may have sinned. (Of course they may be offering to make the lives of the children better by releasing them from a religious prison they will live in for the rest of their lives.)

The only hold such communities have is the potential for shunning. They studiously avoid teaching their memebers how to survive in the world at large so as to keep them dependent. At that point shunning is the equivalent of being sent to prison where you don't know or understand the rules and your survival is in question.

[who38]

Chosen is as chosen does.

[MagisterLudi]

It is difficult to find a teacher in any branch of religion/spiritual realm who does not display a grasping nature.

Most of priests, preachers, mullahs, rabbis, gurus, rinpoches, senseis etc are bureaucrats concerned with maintaining the structure, rituals and finances of their group. On the whole they are not spiritually advanced humans, despite the talk. But occasionally, an enlightened person emerges (usually a mystic).

He/she then branches out (Jesus out of Judaism) or (Buddha out of Hinduism), ( Mohammed out of Arab paganism). Immediately the square and pedantic followers go to work and bastardize and destroy the original message of tolerance and universal compassion.

Thats the reason why Eastern mystics like Buddha resisted writing any of their teachings.

"If you can explain Zen, you don't understand Zen."

[Dehrenstein]

Natalie Portman isn't kosher? Nu?

[iluvsam]

UGH. Here we go again with this religious bullshit. It is amazing how people get brainwashed by this ridiculousness.

[VivaZapata]

intolerance and ignorance dance together and usually to religious strains. oy veh!

[abdallac]

Why don't any of you respect what he believes? This is his faith and his faith community and both have their parameters of what is acceptable. He is not a religious extremist, you morons, these are people who follow their faith conservatively and in an orthodox manner. These are not secular, humanistic or reform Jews, they are the REAL DEAL in how they want to live according to the Torah.

The rabbi is responsible for leading and bringing the members of his community back to center and upholding the standard they all profess to believe and live by. You don't have to like it or understand but that is the role of anyone who is responsible for the welfare of other people, be it spiritual, physical, educational, financial, etc.

You all here have shown an equal amount of hostility and intolerance yourselves because THIS IS THEIR LIFESTYLE and THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. Look in the MIRROR.

Maybe if any of you understood anything about the rest of the world you'd realize that in the majority of it - not anything goes, there is still faith, tradition, expectation and firm guidelines for living your life. You are free to choose and have made your choices. He also knew what the consequeces would be because he knows his community in which he CHOOSES to live.

ROCKWELL, you write that they "voluntarily become a slave to another man's dictates". Hmmm, is this like all these young kids signing up for the military so they can defend our "freedom" and come home in boxes because of the dictates of an extreme Christian evangelical in the White House made everyone believe that all the Iraqi's had something to do with 9/11?? Yeah, riiiiiiiii­iiiiiight. Pendulum, swings both ways.

[Rachel36]

I grew up under a religiously, oppressive parent - Jehovah Witness. The restrictions, the isolation and the exclusion really play havoc on you spiritually, emotionally and psychologically. No one can repress their desires 24/7. He had a dream others didn't allow him to pursue. It's brutal, cruel and I empathize completely.

[TheHandyman]

The reality is that thar religion is just like child abuse. It is handed down from family to family with the "help" of the church. Religion, except where some one has a drug induced reaction or an ephaney, is continued by brainwashing them at an early age. In extreme cases, the parents start home schooling children so they are never exposed to the real world. When your parents send their children to sunday school and church and vacation bible school for 10 to 15 years, it is very hard to overcome the brainwashing. Parents think they are giving their children some kind of choice about religion by exposing them to it for their own good but what they are doing is providing more fodder for the church to keep it going. Religion is about control and money. The spirituality is the bait!

[fetacheese]

yes, a lot of people here are writing very disrespectful things. however, at the end of the day, how oh how did this man think he could act in this film in the first place, knowing the rules and regulations of his religion? did he not read the script? did he not have a serious discussion with the producers and director over what he can and can not do? it doesn't make sense that an individual with these strict beliefs could ever conceivably act in any film, let alone a hollywood production. so while he NOW seems to realize the consequences within the community he chooses to live in, as you rightfully say, the question that hasn't been answered is WHY he didn't seem to know that before getting involved with the production in the first place. otherwise, the way he chooses to live his life is no ones business but his own. and i certainly don't care. but seriously though, what a pain in the ass now for them to re-cast and do it over (not to mention losing money, going over the original schedule, etc.). yikes!

[abdallac]

Hello Feta - well I completely agree with you - but perhaps they "physical" portions of the movie were not explained to him because probably no one really knew anything about the Hasidom to consider hand holding with someone other than your wife such a taboo. Look, the guy is still pretty young and obviously their lifestyle doesn't necessarily prepare them for talks with an agent or producer. Yes it was NOT well thought out on his part and unfortunately for him the consequences are pretty high when the parameters are what they are.

Look, I am Muslim - I know loads of men (from fairly liberal to the far right end of the spectrum) who, if they got a part in a Hollywood production, and had to hold some woman's hand that wasn't there wife would back off the picture - although, somehow, I don't think that would be a part they would be cast in....It simply isn't done and is considered "haram".

These are not ancient, dried out cultural traditions - this is what countless devout people of faith believe that these are the guidelines that God Almighty demands from them regardless if it's 1008 BC or 2008 AD.

[abdallac]

Actually - I have to say I am pretty shocked by hatred of religion I see on this board. It is not religion/faith that is an evil. Faith exists to uplift mankind. However, the evil is human beings who would twist its core nature into something else to satisfy some other agenda.

[TheRealDude]

Is this story real?
Religion is a fraud. Personal exploration of the devine is the only salvation. The Bible is DEAD.

[MagisterLudi]

Dude. I agree with you on the subject of personal exploration.

However, your high level of anger and nervousness on the subject will prevent you for doing effective meditation. No need to be insecure about your beliefs?

Personal spiritual development precludes insulting those on a different path.

Compassion, not passion is the way to go. Mediate on it.