Jerusalem existed longer before it became the City of David than it did as the capital of his kingdom. Contrary to the popular comparison of David choosing the city for his capital as the Founding Fathers chose the city of Washington, Jerusalem was a living city with centuries-old history. What do we know about that history? What do we know about its religion? How did it respond to the presence of the new people Israel? What happened to the people after it became part of Israel? What impact did these people have on the Bible?

Peter Feinman is the founder and president of the Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education, a non-profit organization which provides enrichment programs for schools, professional development program for teachers, and public programs. He received his B.A. in history from the University of Pennsylvania, a M.Ed. from New York University, an MBA from New York University, and an Ed. D. from Columbia University. His interests cross disciplinary boundaries including American history, ancient civilizations, biblical history, and New York history.

He advocates for state and local history in the curriculum, teacher training, and cultural heritage tourism and for the well-being of the social fabric. In support of these efforts, he writes a blog about the state of New York State History.

He supports public outreach of ancient civilization through participation in the multiple organizations. His forthcoming book is Jerusalem Throne Games: Battle of Biblical Stories after the Death of David.