Sephardic Jews in the Netherlands of Sephardic Jewry in Amsterdam, the Mahamad also closely controlled the process of re-judaization - that is helping those whose families had been secretly living as Jews while being outwardly Catholic return to a full Jewish life. In this process, several individuals rejected Rabbinic Judaism or advanced ideas outside of the norms of Judaism at that time and were disciplined by the Mahamad through the process of herem, which could be anything from denial of Torah honors to an outright ban on the individual. The most famous of those to receive a full ban herem was philosopher Baruch Spinoza, whose
University of Religions and Denominations University of Religions and Denominations The University of Religions and Denominations () is a teaching and research center focusing on the study of religions and Islamic sects. The president of the university is Sayyid Abulhasan Navab, one of its founding members. The university has four vice presidents: Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Research, Vice President for Cultural & Student Affairs and Vice President for Administrative & Financial Affairs. In 1995 a group of scholars from Hawza of Qom interested in and concerned with religious and cultural matters, decided to pioneer a movement towards the study of various