David Hochfelder, the Executive Vice President for Acquisitions at Naftali Group LLC, is a seasoned professional in real estate investment and development who has been active in charity and community work for 15 years.

He has founded and directed various New York-based charitable organizations from the ground up, including the Annual Toy and Gift Drive (which serves various hospitals, hospices and nursing homes in New York) and the Mirwais School Fund Benefit (which raised money for the Mirwais School for Girls in Afghanistan).

As a longtime New Yorker, David had one of his most memorable charitable experiences in the wake of 9/11, during which time he created a fundraising event to support local firehouses and law enforcement. Inspired by the power of word-of-mouth and the ability to directly allocate resources without getting caught up in bureaucratic red tape, David resolved to be even more active in community nonprofit work. His work at this time sparked the philanthropic spirit within David, and since then he has been involved in founding and supporting numerous benevolent causes.

David Hochfelder is an avid supporter of initiatives that advocate for affordable housing, relief, and general awareness on behalf of homeless youth. He supports Covenant House, an agency which provides services to homeless and runaway youth. He and many of his peers in his industry are involved in the New York Real Estate Executive Sleep Out,” an annual fundraiser event that is held in 27 cities total to raise awareness about homelessness.

Because of his longstanding position in the real estate industry, David also has unique opportunities to help people relocate and find new properties for charitable organizations in need. He worked on the acquisition of 11 Bond Street in NoHo during his tenure with RFR and collaborated with its former tenants, the Center for Urban Community Services (CUCS), to help them find an ideal new home for their social services.

David is also passionate about supporting the Jewish community of New York through economic, social, and personal empowerment. He has mentored up-and-coming members of the Young Jewish Professionals (YJP) organization on how to make the most of their strategy and growth in the real estate sector. He has also participated in numerous events, such as the YJP Real Estate Dealmakers Summit. In addition to YJP David supports UJA Federation, the world’s largest local philanthropy, which addresses causes such as education, poverty alleviation, disaster relief, and more within the Jewish community of New York and beyond.

David Hochfelder earned his B.A. in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and went on to earn his MBA from Columbia Business School and his M.S. in Real Estate from New York University.


In September of 2016, David Hochfelder was named the Executive Vice President of Acquisitions at the Naftali Group, LLC where it is his job to oversee acquisitions made by the firm as well as to source, structure, and execute the company’s investments. The Naftali Group takes great pride in their ability to bring innovation and creativity to each investment they encounter. Having handled every sort of project from large-scale, from-scratch developments to building improvements and renovations, Naftali always remains actively involved in the entire process of each project, both in planning and development an in construction. They oversee design, budgeting, the approval process, and supervise the entire building process. Since it was first opened in 2011, Naftali Group has owned, developed, or operated 15 residential or multi-use properties valued at more than $1.75 billion and spanning about 1,300,000 square feet.

Before David began working at Naftali, he worked as the director of acquisitions for RFR Holding in New York City. Since it was founded in 1991, RFR Holding has acquired and developed over 100 different properties in New York City, Las Vegas, Miami Beach, and Germany. Their projects have spanned all different types of property — office, hotel, retail, and residential— in all different phases of their life cycles, from ground-up development to commercial renovations. Here at RFR, David was a critical piece in the handling and executing of more than $2.5 billion worth of acquired property and invested credit. David’s work in the commercial real estate sector covered projects including hotel, residential, office, and retail real estate spanning a total of 3.5 million square feet of property.

Prior to his work with RFR Holding, David worked for The City Investment Fund as a financial analyst. Founded in 2004, the fund has a broad real estate focus and actively invests in all different property types across New York City’s five boroughs. David’s responsibilities at the real estate private equity fund included underwriting and executing the business’s acquisitions.