What's On at the Library

Spadina Avenue was for decades the heart of Toronto's Jewish community and the centre of the garment industry. In these harsh sweatshops, Jewish workers–men and women–laboured and struggled for a better life. On September 14, 7 pm, at the Lillian H. Smith Branch Ruth Frager explores this rich history in her talk, Spadina Sweatshops: Jews and Gender in Toronto's Labour Movement, 1900-1939.

Dr. Frager is a professor at McMaster University where her teaching and research centre on women's history, the history of immigrant groups and working-class history in Canada. Sweatshop Strife: Class, Ethnicity, and Gender in the Jewish Labour Movement in Toronto and Discounted Labour: Women Workers in Canada, 1870-1939 are both available at Toronto Public Library.

This is the first of the Fall 2011 History Matters lecture series. Follow this History Matters link for the other talks or search "history matters" under Programs, Classes and Exhibits. History Matters has been made possible by a generous grant from The History Education Network (THEN/Hier).

Thought Exchange: Programs for the Constantly Curious

Satisfy your curiosity with an eclectic collection of lectures and discussions across the city. Click on image at right or go to torontopubliclibrary.ca/thoughtexchange/.