Rabbi David Philistiov was born in Samargand, Uzbekistan (at the time under the rule of the Soviet Union). After receiving his semicha from the Shehebar Sephardic Center in 1994, he served as a Rabbi in Azerbaijan for three months educating the existing Jewish community, while working as a mohel, shochet and also officiating marriages.
Rabbi Philistiov returned to his country of birth (which now gained its independence as Uzbekistan) where he served in Bukharra and Tashkent for three years. Then returned to Israel where he served as rabbi of Shaare Sion in Ramla.
Rabbi Philistiov moved to America and became the Rabbi for the Sephardic community in Phoenix, Arizona where there are two Sephardic synagogues and Bet Sefer Yehudit, a Yeshivah day school, serving about 450 families.
In 2007, Rabbi Philistiov arrived in New York where he currently serves as the spiritual leader of the Fresh Meadows Bukharran Jewish Center. He conducts classes there every night of the week as well as three classes on Shabbat. Married now for 14 years, he has four children – 2 boys and 2 girls. His community consists of 500 families and he continues officiates marriages, works as a Mohel, Shochet, as well as Hashgachah.