Actor Quits Big Break on Rabbis' Orders

This isn't the first time Hollywood has called on the Hasidic community. A 1981 film titled "The Chosen," starring Robbie Benson, revolved around the story of two Hasidic teenagers.

Sidney Lumet's 1992 movie "A Stranger Among Us" focused on Melanie Griffith as a cop who goes undercover in a Hasidic neighborhood -- a kind of Jewish "witness."

"New York I Love You" is a series of 12 short stories about love in the different neighborhoods of New York City. "It's a celebration of love and relationships," according to creator and producer Emmanuel Benbihy.

In an e-mail exchange, Benbihy said the controversy came as a "complete surprise."

The producers had been working "closely with representatives of the Hasidic community of Brooklyn in order to make sure that we are respectful of the traditions of a classic Hasidic wedding."

Portman and Karpen portrayed a young Hasidic couple about to get married.

Benbihy said, "Mr. Karpen was well-liked and highly regarded. We regret but respect and understand his choice to pull out from the movie. From our perspective, we felt very welcome in Brooklyn."

But the welcome mat isn't always out.

For instance, filmmaker Pearl Gluck was forced out of a location in Williamsburg by about 200 protesters recently.

Gluck, who runs her own production company, Palinka Pictures, has a unique perspective because she was brought up in the Hasidic community. But in the 1980s in order to go to a college of her choosing, she left. Although Gluck still considers herself a part of the community, many Hasidim do not.

Still her films, like "The Divan," focus on the traditions and culture of the community she grew up in.

"The sense of community is very powerful, the sense of charity. There really is a sense that we're in this together. Our main goal is to bring up our children in a faith-based environment and expose them to the richness of our traditions," Gluck said.

The recent protests on her film, Gluck said, had to do with "people seeing film sets and crews coming from the outside world. There is a fear of a lack of continuity and thinking that the next generation won't be like the last one."