The speaker for Lunch with the League on Tuesday, May 1, will be Erin Darby, assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Tennessee. Her presentation will introduce attendees to the modern history of Jerusalem and explain its political, cultural, and religious significance, including its role in regional and international conflict. She was scheduled to speak at the January 16 meeting, which was cancelled due to the weather.

The meeting will be held from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, which is located at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Darby is also co-director of the ‘Ayn Gharandal Archaeological Project in southern Jordan, and she leads the UT Dig Jordan study abroad program. An expert in the archaeology and texts of the Middle East, she has traveled extensively in the region, conducting research in Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Cyprus, and Syria, a press release said. [Read more…]