<$BlogRSDURL$>

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Hasidic actor exits film amid uproar from fellow faithful 



An aspiring actor has quit a movie starring Natalie Portman because it outraged his ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious community, the actor said.

Rabbis "didn't like the idea of a Hasidic guy playing in Hollywood," said Abe Karpen, a Brooklyn cabinet salesman cast as Portman's husband in the upcoming "New York I Love You." The project, a collection of 12 short love stories, has been shooting in New York.

Karpen, 25, told the Daily News a rabbi raised objections after he filmed a scene with Portman on Wednesday.

A rabbi also told him his kids would be kicked out of their schools if he continued to film his role, so Karpen, a kitchen cabinet salesman, is kissing his silver screen dreams good-bye. He and his family left the city for the weekend (a friend said, "The community wants to kill him").

"This is when I woke up and saw that I made a big mistake," said Karpen, a father of three. "My community, where I live, means everything to me."

Hasidism, a form of mystical ultra-Orthodox Judaism, traces its roots to 18th-century Eastern Europe. Followers live in tightly woven communities, wear traditional dress — for men, beards, dark suits and felt hats — and avoid television.

"We don't go to the movies, so to be in a movie is the worst thing," said Hasidic community activist Isaac Weinberger.

Executive producer Jan Korbelin said he regretted that Karpen's role in the film had caused upset.

"This is the last thing this picture should be doing," Korbelin said. "This film is about love and understanding between different people and communities."

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/03/15/america/NA-GEN-US-Hasidic-Actor.php

Comments:
I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume he was cast for a hassidic man role?

 

What was he thinking when he accepted the role? did he think that any ultra orthodox jewish community would embrace this? Having chassidish backround - i know the mentality of chassidim. its self understood that they would have put pressure on him to back out. acting, or any association with hollywood is against the chassidish belief. they have a right to request him to back out so long as he wants to remain in their community. If he really wanted to follow the illusion of happiness (which is really drugs, deppression and painful unstability) than he could have relocated to a different community. I feel bad for him now, since he will always bear a stigma in his community...even when he starts looking for shidduchim for his children in several years from now...this will haunt him.

 

Hollywood and leading a frum lifestyle cannot coexist. It is almost impossibble to protect oneself from all the garbage in hollywood and continue being frum at the same time. Especially when there are children involved. It is a tremendous nissayon for someone who has an opportunity to be part of the hollywood glamour and yet choose not to. I can say this from my own experience. I have been scouted several times for modeling and movies. It was a nissayon but i made the right choice. I chose to ignore the temptation and cotinue leading a frum life. Bezrat hashem, i know that there is reward for not allowing myself to fall in to the bottomless pit of hollywood.

 

I'll take his place..... Natalie
Portman is a beauty.
What do the Rabbi's think will
happen.....they will never see the
movie. So, like somne in the
hassidic community. They will
view a movie in a theater far from
Boro Park or where ever.

 

I hope the scene didnt show them touching

 

This would be a pefect opportunity to abandon chasidic judaism and begin a new rational life.

 

this pic shows they're touching hands.

I wonder what his wife has to say about all of this? Is she suspecting about them having some kind of affair after he resigns from being an actor?

Why didn't he think about all the repercussions BEFORE he decided to become an actor?

I hope Abe Karpen and his real wife don't get divorced because of this.

 

They did not touch at any time,

 

HOW DID HE GET TO BE CHOSEN TO ACT NEXT TO NATALIE?
I KNOW HE NEVER TOOK ACTING LESSONS.
WHERE DID THEY PICK HIM UP?
HE IS REALLY CUTE FOR A ULTRA HASSIDIC GUY.
THE ONLY REASON HE DID THIS IS FOR MONEY. HE IS TRYING TO PROVIDE FOR HIS WIFE AND KIDS AND HAVE FUN AT THE SAME TIME..

 

Here are many more pictures of the set:
http://www.natalieportman.com/gallery/public_2008_on-set-NY-I-love-you/00184_CELEBUTOPIANatalie_Portman_filming_New_York_I_Love_You_in_Brooklyn_New_York_City120308_10_122_1171lo_001

 

2:02, tell that to all the frummies working successfully in Hollywood and in NY, both behind and in front of the cameras. You obviously know nothing about the business.

 

What's outrageous is any frum person agreeing to work with Natalie Portman (aka Natalie Hershlag) after the Kotel kissing stunt she pulled off a few years back.

 

But natalie is a nice jewish girl!!!

 

Oy Vey!

 

what's the difference between this chassidishe guy being an actor in this film and a chassidishe guy being an actor in the movie "A Stranger Among Us"?

In my opinion there's no difference.

 

Nebech! I know him very well. He is a nice kid. I hope that he can at least keep his new wardrobe וועש. The lesson is, that עין רואה is becoming a reality. Don't think you can outsmart anyone, in this day in age. You do something, it's very possible that it will eventually be known and in a nasty way, in a way that will set you up upsides down. Karpen is just a reminder that you should keep away if you don't want your butt kicked.

My advice to you Mr. Karpan. 1) Get involved in a major organization 2) Don't speak on Shabbos. People will get the impression that you are a holy and disciplined hard working person that just made a little mistake in the past. Besides this, don't do anything dramatic, eventually, everything will pass.

 

Post a Comment

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

Google
Chaptzem! Blog

-