Informal Governance and Jewish Advocacy in 18th Century Frankfurt and Vienna

Session Submission Type: Panel Session

Abstract

The early modern Jewish communities in Vienna and Frankfurt am Main were closely connected through political, family, and economic networks, not least because of their proximity to the Holy Roman Emperor and his institutions. These ties become particularly apparent in legal disputes within the Jewish community, but also between Jews and Christians that were increasingly brought before the imperial authorities and courts by Jewish litigants (communicative triangulation). Aside from formal legal proceedings, Jewish protagonists used informal channels to the Frankfurt city council and the Viennese imperial court to advance their concerns. These unofficial ways of communication are part of the history of Jewish advocacy and responded to informal governance practices of early modern political and legal institutions. But what is known about these informal channels and the overall communication strategies? Why did the Viennese imperial courts intervene so often in disputes in the Judengasse Frankfurt? Who knew about the interventions and how? This panel will use three case studies to examine these still unexplored questions and connections between Jewish Vienna and Frankfurt in the 18th century.

Sub Unit

• Medieval and Early Modern Jewish History, Literature, and Culture

Chair

• Tamar Menashe, Emory Univeristy

Individual Presentations

• Advocacy as Business: Samson Wertheimer’s Honorary Protectorate for the Jewish Community of Frankfurt am Main - Mirjam Thulin, Author/Independent Scholar

• Important Missions and Daily Struggles - the Realities of Being a Jewish Deputee - Rahel Blum, Johann Wolfgang Goethe University

• Jewish Legal Advocacy in 18th-Century German Media - Verena Kasper-Marienberg, North Carolina State University

Zoom Host

• Zoom Host 03