Herem (censure)

Not to be confused with Haram or harem.
For the same Hebrew word that means to devote or destroy, see Herem (war or property). For the Kohanic gift, see Herem (priestly gift).
Herem placed on the Hasidim by the Vilna Gaon in 1781

Herem (Hebrew: חֵרֶם ḥērem) is the highest ecclesiastical censure in the Jewish community. It is the total exclusion of a person from the Jewish community. It is a form of shunning and is similar to vitandus "excommunication" in the Catholic Church. Cognate terms in other Semitic languages include the Arabic terms ḥarām "forbidden, taboo, off-limits, or immoral" and haram "set apart, sanctuary", and the Ge'ez word ʿirm "accursed".