Spotlight: David Yashgur

Meet David, a Greater Springfield resident who regularly joins Urban Dor events in Greater Hartford. We spoke with David about the value of strengthening connections between our sister Jewish communities, along with his career, interests, and what keeps him coming back.

Pictured in the middle is David Yashgur, alongside Jared and Alex, at Urban Dor's Taste of Israel: A Wine & Cheese Social in March 2026.

Urban Dor: We love that you are from Greater Springfield and make the extra effort to attend our events and #represent. How do you see our two Jewish communities collaborating more?

35 minutes without traffic actually isn't too bad for events every 1 or 2 weeks, so I think the commute is doable for a large number of people a large percentage of the time. I think sharing information about upcoming events between both communities is a good way to strengthen ties, and perhaps in the future organize larger events in strategic locations with the goal of getting attendance from both communities at once.

Urban Dor: When did you first hear about Urban Dor and what was your first event?

I am not sure who was the first person to tell me about it, but it was shortly after I moved back to Springfield in early 2025, and I went to the August 2025 Urban Dor event at Elicit Brewery in Manchester, with my friend, Miriam, and that was a lot of fun getting to meet the Greater Hartford community for the first time.

Urban Dor: What do you do professionally? And we know you have a passion for AI, what do you see as the biggest changes on the horizon?

Right now I work as a Lead Data Engineer for Roberts Energy in Springfield. They are responsible for making sure many gas stations and industrial facilities have the fuel they need when they need it throughout New England and the Hudson Valley region. I think the best case for AI is that it will allow companies to better understand their internal data and make better decisions as a result.

Urban Dor: Tell us about your experience with Legion of West Hartford, the Jewish community’s Krav Maga program.

Legion was a great program, shoutout to Kyle Glass for introducing it to me. I found learning Krav Maga to be a great way to connect with Israeli culture as well as strengthening my self-confidence and meeting new people in the West Hartford Jewish community.

Urban Dor: If people want to connect with you or learn more about what you’re doing, what’s the best way to reach you?

I can be found and messaged by my name on LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and my email is dav1243@gmail.com. Feel free to reach out.

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Urban Dor's next event is Rosh Hashanah Celebration at Temple Beth El in West Hartford on Thursday, Sept 3rd 2026. Tickets and details here.

Whether you’re from Greater Hartford, New Haven, Springfield, Boston, NYC or beyond, come experience the warmth and energy of the Greater Hartford Jewish community with Urban Dor.