There is no major excitement in Shtadlonus, just something that has needs to be done and has always been done in Klal Yisroel.

One outstanding Shtadlonim from Jewish history is Rabbi Yosel of Rosheim in the early 1500s, who secured a letter of protection for the Yidden of Germany from Emperor Charles the Fifth. There is a famous set of Marcus Lehman books about him and worth reading. Another great Shtadlan was Baruch Yavan from the early 1700, he represented the Vaad Arba Aratzos, one of his successes was in saving many copies of Shas from being burned during the infamous Kaminetz disputation. Another interesting one is Yankel Teitel from Russia who stopped the pogrom in Saratov in the late 1800’s. It seems that Teitel grew up not-religious in a family of Maskilim and was pressured greatly to convert to Christianity as was the norm of of the day; he refused and advocated for the Yidden of Russia his entire life.

The Tosfos Yomtov, who needed the help of Shtadlonim when he was falsely imprisoned for allegedly insulting Christianity, in Pirkei Avos 2:3 cites earlier Shtadlonim; he mentions Mordechai HaTzadik and Rav Yehuda HaNasi in the time of the Mishna as prime examples.

No short summary of Shtadlonus would be complete without mentioning holy Jews like the great Mike Tress, Irving Bunim, Rabbi Naftali Neuberger and Rabbi Moshe Sherer who paved the way for askonus in the United States.

While no one today would consider himself anything like these greats, and today’s Shtadlonus is in an environment that is somewhat friendlier to Yidden (today’s Medina of Chesed is not rife with hate like those of Germany, France, Poland, Moravia and Bohemia, and Russia of old), they follow in this holy Mesorah, doing their best to advocate for Klal Yisroel.

Next Shabbos as we finish Yekum Purkun perhaps think of these and include them in your tefilla that Hakodosh Baruch Hu Yeshalem Scharam.