Asian Heritage Month Talk At Toronto Public Library
Asian Heritage Month Talk at Toronto Public Library: “Parallel Paths: the Chinese and Jewish Communities in The Ward and Beyond”
Date: Tuesday May 12, 2026 | 6:30pm
Venue: Beeton Hall, Toronto Reference Library, Toronto Public Library, 789 Yonge Street, Toronto. Map
Speakers: Arlene Chan, John Lorinc
FREE ADMISSION | Please register on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/parallel-paths-the-chinese-and-jewish-communities-in-the-ward-and-beyond-tickets-1983897642253
Event details from Toronto Public Library:
Overview
Join historian and author Arlene Chan and journalist John Lorinc as they discuss Toronto’s overlapping Chinese and Jewish civic narratives.
The civic narratives of Toronto’s Chinese and Jewish communities have overlapped since the days of The Ward in the early 20th century, through to the present day. In this unique shared storytelling and cross-cultural dialogue, aided by photographs from the Chinese Canadian Archive, historian and author Arlene Chan and journalist John Lorinc will explore both the pleasure and the importance of cultural connection in the world’s most diverse metropolis and how these have fostered inclusivity in Canada.
ABOUT THIS EVENT’S GUESTS:
Arlene Chan shares her passion for the history, culture, and traditions of the Chinese in Canada in her speaking engagements, essays, and books, including The Chinese in Toronto from 1878 (2011). With a long standing commitment to community work, she currently serves as the president of the Jean Lumb Foundation.
John Lorinc is a Toronto freelance journalist who writes about cities, business, immigration and local history for a range of publications, including The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star and Spacing. John co-edited The Ward: The Life and Loss of Toronto’s First Immigrant Neighbourhood, and The Ward Uncovered: The Archaeology of Everyday Life. He is also the author of No Jews Live Here: A Memoir (Coach House Books, 2024).
The speakers will engage with the audience in a Q & A after their presentations.
Event co-organizers: Asian Heritage Month—Canadian Foundation for Asian Culture (Central Ontario) Inc.; Toronto Public Library; Asian Institute at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto; Richard Charles Lee Canada Hong Kong Library, University of Toronto; Chinese Canadian Photography Society of Toronto; Social Services Network; Cambridge Food and Wine Society
Asian Heritage Month Festival is partially funded by the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. Asian Canadian Artists in Digital Age is funded by Canada Council for the Arts Digital Strategy Fund.