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Excommunication or Kherem (חרם) is much more seldom in Judaism than in Christianity but it does occur. The most famous examples of Kherem were to Baruch Spinoza in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and to Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan in New York City.
The person to be excommunicated is summoned before the Chief Rabbis of the jurisdiction in front of the Kahal (קהל), the leaders of the Jewish community. The Chief Rabbi announces the offenses of the person to be excommunicated. In both cases above it was blasphemy. Spinoza was an atheist in the 1600s. Mordecai Kaplan was teaching opinions contrary to Jewish tradition at a Jewish institution. They are asked if they will recant the offenses. If they refuse, a copy of their books or writings is burned to symbolically cleanse the community of their works and the person is stripped of their Jewish rank. The community is told that the offender is "in kherem".
When a person is "in kherem" no member of the Jewish community is allowed to interact with that person in any way. They are not allowed to speak to him, to gesture towards him, conduct any business with him, or to feed him; but they are also forbidden to harm him in any way. If he approaches the Chief Rabbi or the Kahal and recants, even while he is "in kherem", his excommunication is ended and he may rejoin the community. Spinoza never recanted and instead spent the rest of his life with similarly-minded Christian friends. Mordecai Kaplan did not recant either, and he founded an entire new sect of Judaism called Reconstructionist Judaism based on his beliefs. Understandably, many Jews from outside of Reconstructionism see that movement as being outside of Judaism since it was founded on excommunicable philosophies.
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Was Kepler excommunicated from the Catholic church?
No, he was excommunicated from the Lutheran Church.
Where did the pope excommunicated King John in 1208?
King John was excommunicated in England
What is one example of a movement in judaism?
Orthodox Judaism.
Was the excommunication of Harold Norwood by Bishop Mendez revoked?
Bishop Harold Norwood was excommunicated by no one and more so by that false 'bishop" Mendez who himself was excommunicated and obtained his '0rdination" by deception!
Are there any specific religions in judaism?
Judaism itself is one religion; the religion of Judaism. See also:Divisions within Judaism
Which religion worshiped only one God?
Judaism.
What is the literal meaning of excommunicate?
Excommunicated; interdicted from the rites of the church., One excommunicated., To put out of communion; especially, to cut off, or shut out, from communion with the church, by an ecclesiastical sentence., To lay under the ban of the church; to interdict.
Who excommunicated Galileo?
Galileo was excommunicated by the Catholic Church in 1633 on the orders of the Inquisition. He was found guilty of heresy for supporting the Copernican view that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
Is Sarah name of judaism?
Sarah, wife of Abraham, was one of the Matriarchs of Judaism.
Who is the one who teaches Judaism?
Judaism is taught by teachers, scholars, rabbis, and cantors.
Who was the God of Christianity and Judaism?
There is only One God in Christianity, Judaism and Islam.
To be excommunicated is to be?
forced out the church A+
