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by Mari Venezia

If you have any question about the utility of decorative wall hooks, just ask my son. His recent discovery that a small, three-pronged coatrack is sufficient to hold an entire wardrobe has brought slight vexation to his mother’s soul. Fortunately, my irritation has been tempered by the knowledge that male pragmatism in these domestic matters is genetically encoded.

Every December, the square of the Nuremberg market place becomes home to the most famous Christmas market in the world. It is also the site where the Jewish quarter of the city once stood. Before the city walls were built, about the year 1100, the Jews were given a swampy piece of ground in what became the middle of town. They developed it into a habitable spot and grew as a community. In 1349, the city council leveled the Jewish quarter and burned 562 Jews alive.

^{NOTE: This article is reprinted with permission from As I See It, a monthly electronic magazine compiled and edited by Doug Kutilek. AISI is sent free to all who request it by writing to the editor at dkutilek@juno.com.}

by Doug Kutilek