David Bernat is the Executive Director of Synagogue Council of MA. He has a PhD in Hebrew Bible and Ancient Judaism from Brandeis and has published  on the topics of circumcision, ritual development, and violence in Jewish text and tradition.  Bernat has taught at Hebrew College, UMass Amherst, and Wellesley College, where he also served as Jewish Chaplain from 2008 – 2014.  David lectures widely in the community and has long been active in adult learning, particularly as a Meah instructor since 1998.