David Z. Moster

David is the Director of the Institute of Biblical Culture (BiblicalCulture.org), a live and online community with classes taught by professors from both Jewish and Christian backgrounds. David received his PhD in Hebrew Bible from Bar-Ilan University in Israel. Before attending Bar-Ilan, he spent two years in Israel and a decade in New York City, where he received a B.A., M.A., M.S. and Rabbinical Degree (semikhah) from Yeshiva University, as well as an M.A. in Hebrew Bible from New York University. In addition to his book Etrog: How a Chinese Fruit Became a Jewish Symbol (Palgrave Macmillan), David has written a number of articles in the Journal of Biblical Literature and the Encyclopedia of the Bible and its Reception. After receiving his PhD, David turned down a university professorship because it would have meant uprooting himself from his family and friends. This led him to explore online and long-distance learning communities, which resulted in the founding of the Institute of Biblical Culture a year later. In addition to his work at the institute, David is also a Fellow in the Department of Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College. David grew up in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania and now lives in Yonkers, New York with his wife, a psychiatrist, and their young daughter.