He is a towering figure in philosophy whose pioneering work laid the foundations for the Enlightenment – but for most of his life Baruch Spinoza was shunned by his fellow Jews for his radical views.
And now an extraordinary new row has revealed that for some members of Amsterdam's Sephardi community there can still be no forgiving Spinoza, almost 350 years after his death.
It comes after a philosophy professor at John Hopkins University in the US asked to film at the Portuguese Jewish Synagogue.
Spinoza expert Yitzhak Melamed was astonished to have his request refused in an utterly uncompromising letter from a leader of Amsterdam’s Sephardi community.
Rabbi Joseph Serfaty insisted the excommunication order given against Spinoza at the age of 23 in 1656 still remains in force today.
The rabbi wrote: “The chachamim [scholars] and parnassim [officers] excommunicated Spinoza and his writings with the severest possible ban, a ban that remains in force for all time and cannot be rescinded.
“You have devoted your life to the study of Spinoza’s banned works and the development of his ideas.
“Your request to visit our complex and create a film about this Epicouros [heretic] is incompatible with our centuries-old halachic, historic and ethical tradition and an unacceptable assault on our identity and heritage.
“I there deny your request and declare you persona non grata in the Synagogue complex.”
Rabbi Serfaty then added just above his signature: “I wish you a meaningful Chanukah.”
Mr Melamed shared the incendiary letter on Facebook on Sunday, saying: “My words are redundant. Enjoy (and have a happy Hannuka!)”
Spinoza was enrolled at a school housed within the synagogue and may have studied there.
Exactly why the authorities of the 17th century community decided to take such drastic against him is not entirely clear, but his challenges to existing notions of God, the soul and miracles certainly caused uproar at the time.
Historic documents of the era refer to his “evil opinions and acts”, “abominable heresies” and “monstrous deeds”. Spinoza died in 1677 aged 44.
The herem – or excommunication – of Spinoza remains in place many centuries later despite repeated calls for
it to be lifted, with efforts to rescind the order refused as recently as 2015.
Mr Melamed is reported to have responded to Rabbi Serfaty but has not shared the content of his message.
