Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG), Mainz and Museum Judengasse, Battonstraße 47, 60311 Frankfurt a.M. Shtadlanut (intercession) is generally perceived as a Jewish political practice or as Jewish diplomacy. It was often closely connected with »righteous« and charitable activities (tzedakah) within the Jewish community. Both practices changed fundamentally during the 19th and early 20th centuries when the Jewish minority was offered emancipation, and as a result, faced issues of inclusion, acculturation, and assimilation. However, the shtadlanim (advocates) of the Jewish minority were confronted with the incomplete integration as well as increasing anti-Semitism, which appear to have reinforced the validity and necessity of Jewish intercession and solidarity. The international workshop takes a new look at the concepts of Jewish intercession/diplomacy (shtadlanut) and righteousness/charity (tzedakah), in order to identify ways in which they are interrelated and how did these interrelations change over time. Key questions of the workshop are: How did Jews represent and negotiate their interests and »otherness« in different societies? Why and how could they receive exclusive rights in cultural, economic, and legal systems from the early modern period up to the 20th century? How influential were the concept of tzedakah and other charitable practices on Jewish political traditions? Finally, how were intercession and welfare adapted in the course of the modern era? For questions, please contact Dr. Mirjam Thulin (thulin@ieg-mainz.de). Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) Dr. Mirjam Thulin Dept. Abendlaendische Religionsgeschichte Alte Universitaetsstrasse 19 55116 Mainz, Germany phone: + 49 – (0) 6131 – 39 39 477 fax: + 49 – (0) 6131 – 39 30 153 e-mail: thulin@ieg-mainz.de In Cooperation with: Martin Buber Chair in Jewish Thought and Philosophy Prof. Dr. Christian Wiese Goethe University Frankfurt Campus Westend Norbert-Wollheim-Platz 1 60323 Frankfurt am Main, Germany phone:+49 – (0)69 – 798 333 13 fax: +49 – (0)69 – 798 333 58 e-Mail: C.Wiese@em.uni-frankfurt.de Institute for the History of the German Jews (IGDJ) Dr. Björn Siegel Beim Schlump 83 20144 Hamburg, Germany phone:+49 – (0)40 – 42838 2935 fax: +49 – (0)40 – 44 808 66 e-Mail: bjoern.siegel@public.uni-hamburg.de The workshop is sponsored by Fritz Thyssen Foundation.