Won't hold Natalie Portman's hand???

i-4a962ba457f63c73dc6a9c9d91172752-natalie.jpgHasidic actor walks off 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.
....
"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.

Sounds kind of meshugana to me. But there's more:

Then came the howls of protest about his unorthodox job.

"This is when I woke up and saw that I made a big mistake. My kids mean everything to me and my community where I live means everything to me," said Karpen, who comes from a prominent Williamsburg, Brooklyn, family.

His longtime friend Levi Okunov said the Karpens had to flee the city for the weekend. "The community wants to kill him," he said.

I'm assuming "kill" in the figurative sense, but it is an interesting window into the mores of the Hasidic community and how it varies from that of most Americans, including most Orthodox Jews. The Hasidic communities came in large numbers to the United States during and after World War II. Prior to this period some of their rebbes worried that American culture would corrupt their youth; American Jews of the period were often the children and grandchildren of religiously observant European Jews who had shifted toward the Reform movement. In the United States the Hasidic Jews have maintained themselves as a community apart, and in some ways resemble the Amish in the distinctiveness of their normative framework (attitudes toward sex, maintaining a German dialect as a primary means of communication amongst themselves, etc.).

Finally, more ominous:

"She's [Portman] the only one I was willing to work with," Karpen said. "I was shocked that she's a Hollywood big shot. We talked in Hebrew. ... She wants to become more religious."

Via Accidental Blogger.

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It is not just Hasidic Jews, it is all or most Orthodox as well. Men and women may not touch each other unless they are relatives or it is a medical necessity.

It is not just Hasidic Jews, it is all or most Orthodox as well. Men and women may not touch each other unless they are relatives or it is a medical necessity.

right, but the touching issue is just a symptom. i think that in terms of orthodoxy there's a spectrum from modern orthodox to hasidic, with various non-hasidic haredi groups somewhere in the middle. i know there are jewish neighborhoods, but i don't know of any modern orthodox communities akin to what the hasidic have.

I'm not a Yiddish expert, but I seem to recall that a "meshugana" is a person who is "meshuga". I'm too fucking lazy to Google it, though.

In Israel, most Religious-Zionists - roughly equivalent to American Modern Orthodox - do not observe the no-touch thing.

I don't know what the fuss is around Portman, she isn't such a good actress, it will not be such a loss. Maybe she's developing an interest in Kabbalah, which is inane but harmless.

Why is this subject on your GE website at all?

Alas, we've lost an atheist pinup. We're down to Scarlett now.

I don't understand the grumbling about "acting skills".

By John J Emerson (not verified) on 17 Mar 2008 #permalink

Actually, if Hasidic married couples don't hold hands in public, wouldn't it have been more realistic if the script did not call for them to hold hands at all?

By Julie Stahlhut (not verified) on 17 Mar 2008 #permalink

She wants to become more religious.

Not too surprising... I remember when she was at her peak, right around when Phantom Menace came out. She was on the Daily Show, full of energy and girliness, talking about how many AP courses she was taking, including Japanese, etc. She just seemed really cool.

And what has she done with it? About 10 years later, not much. She just coasted on her looks, which have already started their unforgiving decline. Within five years, she'll just be a religious cheerleader for Israel. Kinda sad.

Contrast Portman with Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper). They're both very smart and good-looking, had high-profile acting gigs as teenagers, and attended prestigious colleges.

McKellar's still holding up well because she was wise not to hope that her looks would last forever, and she broke away from Hollywood silliness. Portman's been in one embarrassing movie after another and has adopted flaky and dopey interests.

. Within five years, she'll just be a religious cheerleader for Israel. Kinda sad.

assman, you ever wonder if she would tell a hasidic jew what he wanted to hear??? just sayin'

talking about how many AP courses she was taking, including Japanese, etc. She just seemed really cool.

AP is the shiz!

McKellar's still holding up well because she was wise not to hope that her looks would last forever, and she broke away from Hollywood silliness

Does she have an academic career? Is she raising a family? No, she's an actress, though not a very successful one. And quite the contrary, her looks have help up just fine - she's gorgeous.

Don't understand the Portman-hate. She's earned more money as a actress than most of us will see in our lifetimes, and she may not be very serious about acting any more.

$100,000 x 50 years = $5 million. That's a very, very successful career for a normal upper-middle class person, and I bet she's earned more than that.

By John J Emerson (not verified) on 17 Mar 2008 #permalink

Wasn't Ms. Portman in V for Vendetta? I recall that being a great movie.

What have you done with your life, agnostic?

By Caledonian (not verified) on 17 Mar 2008 #permalink

What have you done with your life, agnostic?

I guess you could find out by reading his blog.

Hahaha, I'm in graduate school and will join the professoriat.

We'll keep your dirty little secret for you.

By John Emerson (not verified) on 17 Mar 2008 #permalink

"She just coasted on her looks, which have already started their unforgiving decline."

Must be blind.

Must be blind.

Note that I said "started their unforgiving decline," rather than "have completed..." No way is she at her peak lookswise -- was better before, hence has started to decline.

Here's what she looks like now:
http://stars.ign.com/articles/835/835353p1.html

She has that soon-to-be cougar look (she'll be 27 soon). Compare with Attack of the Clones or shortly thereafter (in her early 20s), when she looked much more feminine.

It's crazy late but being as you're all Portman-obsessed here let me just calm your fears regarding her pending religiosity. The Chussid is simply doing one of two things:

a) justifying his talks with her as attempts at kiruv

b) getting his kicks out of speaking of himself as someone who's "doing kiruv" on Natalie Portman. There are true Dominance-oriented pleasures to be had in evangelizing for the Lord and you can engage in this low pleasure while gaining the accolades (and jealous stares) from your community as well.

No matter how bad or good he may have been at Winning Friends and Influencing People, speaking of his relationship with Portman along those lines does him good - in his community, his mind, his soul and his balls.

mnuez

Ah c'mon, you're telling me she looks *more* feminine in the pics in that link I posted, compared to Attack of the Clones or thereabouts?

It's not just the shape of her jaw or tightness of her skin; she has that sultry quasi-leer in her eye, rather than the fresh sparkle and giggly smile from the AotC trailer.

"Note that I said "started their unforgiving decline," rather than "have completed..." No way is she at her peak lookswise -- was better before, hence has started to decline."

must be deaf

Diana,

I'm with you on this - as women age and get more confident about themselves, to me they get sexier!

Ergo Portman is still getting sexier...

I'm not making some feminist statement here. Just saying that Portman, at 26, isn't aging, and isn't declining.

Off topic but I always thought Portman had blue eyes. It seems that nowadays she is sporting brown orbs. Real or contacts? Or am I mis-remembering?