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A shtadlan, also known as the court Jew, was an intercessor figure who represented interests of the local Jewish community (such as of a town's ghetto), and worked as a "lobbyist" pleading for the safety of Jews with the outside authorities of Medieval Europe.
The typical Jewish community (the kahal) was autonomous, and the tax collection and enforcing of various restrictions imposed on it were arranged by internal governing board (the kehila).
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