HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

A ''shtadlan'' (, ; , ) was an intercessor for a local European Jewish community. They represented the interests of the community, especially those of a town's
ghetto A ghetto is a part of a city in which members of a minority group are concentrated, especially as a result of political, social, legal, religious, environmental or economic pressure. Ghettos are often known for being more impoverished than other ...
, and worked as a " lobbyist" negotiating with the authorities holding power for the safety and benefit of Jews. The process of Jewish intercession is known as ''shtadlanut'' (). Shtadlanim (plural of shtadlan) relied on many tactics to intercede on the behalf of the Jewish community. These included emotional appeals, such as begging, rational appeals such as trying to implement charters or decrees, and also gifts of money or other goods to gain favor. Elyakim Zelig from Jampol, reported specifically on the need to beg for the Pope’s favor during a mission to Rome in 1757, in which he tried to gain support for defending Jews against
blood libel Blood libel or ritual murder libel (also blood accusation) is an antisemitic canardTurvey, Brent E. ''Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis'', Academic Press, 2008, p. 3. "Blood libel: An accusation of ritual mu ...
. Typically, a Jewish community ('' qahal'') governed its own internal affairs. The interactions with the outside society, such as
tax A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
collection and enforcement of various restrictions and compulsions imposed on the community, were arranged by an internal governing board. The ''shtadlan'' emerged to prominence in 17th century Europe, with the rise of absolutism, as an intermediary between the resident Jewish community and the monarchical government in control of the region. The position was appointed by the government, and could even be named as a royal official. Although he officially represented the Jewish community only, the ''shtadlan'' became a tool of the government. Shtadlan played a significant role in the Jewish community, especially in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One prominent shtadlan was Barukh ben David Yavan, born in the early 1700s. Yavan was instrumental in many secret missions between the king of Poland, Augustus III and
Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself '' King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prus ...
, helping to end the
War of the Austrian Succession The War of the Austrian Succession was a European conflict fought between 1740 and 1748, primarily in Central Europe, the Austrian Netherlands, Italian Peninsula, Italy, the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Related conflicts include King Ge ...
. Yavan was also in contact with a papal nuncio in Warsaw allowing him to save many
Talmud The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
s after the Kamieniec disputation that led to most Talmuds being burned. Jacob Teitel, born in 1851 under czarist Russian rule, is another example of an influential shtadlan. After a pogrom began in the city of
Saratov Saratov ( , ; , ) is the largest types of inhabited localities in Russia, city and administrative center of Saratov Oblast, Russia, and a major port on the Volga River. Saratov had a population of 901,361, making it the List of cities and tow ...
, he used his connection to the regional governor to stop the anti-Jewish actions. During the late 19th century, the use of the press and public opinion as leverage for ''shtadlanus'' activity became the most important change in the work of the shadlan, becoming closely associated with relief efforts for victims of pogroms in Russia as well as the early foundings of Political Zionism. Traditionally, ''shtadlanim'' were seen as great protectors of Jewish communities, and received
approbation Approbation may refer to: * Approbation (Catholic canon law), an act in the Catholic Church by which a bishop or other legitimate superior grants to an ecclesiastic the actual exercise of his ministry * Approbation (Germany), the process of grant ...
from the communities' governing Jewish religious authorities.See Tosafot Yom Tov on Pirkei Avos 2:3 where Rabbi Yom-Tov Lipmann Heller compares those who work on behalf of the community to intercede with the ruling power to the likes of Mordecai in the
Book of Esther The Book of Esther (; ; ), also known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as "the Scroll" ("the wikt:מגילה, Megillah"), is a book in the third section (, "Writings") of the Hebrew Bible. It is one of the Five Megillot, Five Scrolls () in the Hebr ...
and to Rabbi
Judah HaNasi Judah ha-Nasi (, ''Yəhūḏā hanNāsīʾ‎''; Yehudah HaNasi or Judah the Prince or Judah the President) or Judah I, known simply as Rebbi or Rabbi, was a second-century rabbi (a tannaim, tanna of the fifth generation) and chief redactor and e ...
, codifier of the
Mishna The Mishnah or the Mishna (; , from the verb ''šānā'', "to study and review", also "secondary") is the first written collection of the Jewish oral traditions that are known as the Oral Torah. Having been collected in the 3rd century CE, it is ...
.


See also

*
Court Jew In early modern Europe, particularly in Germany, a court Jew (, ) or court factor (, ) was a Jewish banker who handled the finances of, or lent money to, royalty and nobility. In return for their services, court Jews gained social privileges, inc ...
* Crown rabbi *
Hakham Bashi ''Hakham Bashi - חכם באשי'' (, , ; ; translated into French as: khakham-bachi) is the Turkish name for the Chief Rabbi of the nation's History of the Jews in Turkey, Jewish community. In the time of the Ottoman Empire it was also used for ...
* Josel of Rosheim * Landesrabbiner * Mordecai Maisel * Isaac Rülf * Schutzjude * Chaim Michael Dov Weissmandl *
Esther Esther (; ), originally Hadassah (; ), is the eponymous heroine of the Book of Esther in the Hebrew Bible. According to the biblical narrative, which is set in the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Ahasuerus falls in love with Esther and ma ...


References

{{reflist History of the Jews in Europe Yiddish words and phrases Jewish leadership roles