Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City honored several community leaders and programs at its 2025 Annual Celebration, which was held on Nov. 20 at Hallbrook Country Club in Leawood, Kansas.

Bob Gershon received the Dan Fingersh Young Leadership Award, given each year to a volunteer under the age of 45 who has shown impactful leadership in the Jewish community and within Federation.

Bob Gershon is awarded the 2025 Dan Fingersh Young Leadership Award. Pictured (from left) are Jay Lewis, Pella Fingersh, Sondra Friedman, Gershon and Mollie Berenbom.

Gershon has been a dedicated philanthropist for years, supporting causes across the Jewish and broader Kansas City communities, including Village Shalom, Breakthrough T1D and the Alzheimer’s Association. He is the immediate past chair of the Village Shalom Board of Directors and led the organization through a transformative period, overseeing CEO and CFO searches, reviving the Associate Board and re-launching the Father’s Day Run fundraiser.

Within Jewish Federation, Gershon serves as the Local Allocations Subcommittee chair and has been a member of the Ben Gurion Society since 2019. During Federation’s Annual Celebration, Gershon was also voted onto Jewish Federation’s Board of Directors.

“His humility, integrity and ability to mobilize others make him a role model among peers and a rising leader for the future of Jewish Kansas City,” Pella Fingersh said when presenting Gershon with his award. Fingersh and her husband, Jack, established the award in honor of their late son, Dan Fingersh (z”l), who died in 1996.

During his acceptance remarks, Gershon attributed his leadership to the example set by his parents.

Sarah Markowitz Schreiber received the Educator of the Year Award, given out each year to an individual who transforms how Jewish Kansas Citians learn.

Sarah Markowitz Schreiber is awarded the 2025 Educator of the Year Award. Pictured are Sondra Friedman, Jay Lewis and Markowitz Schreiber.

Schreiber served as director of education and programs at Jewish Community Relations Bureau | American Jewish Committee for five years. She worked to build bridges of understanding between the Jewish community and interfaith partners and help people of all ages make sense of complex topics like antisemitism, Israel, identity and leading difficult conversations.

Schreiber also taught the “Knowledge as Power” course in partnership with Jewish Experiences, a collaboration between Federation and The J. The program invited adults into conversations about antisemitism and Zionism, intending to teach them how to respond to hate with strength and dignity.

She also taught several cohorts of AJC’s “Leaders for Tomorrow” program, designed to empower high school students to speak about Israel and their Jewish identities with confidence, authenticity and pride.

“Sarah, your work reminds us that education is not only about imparting knowledge. It’s about building community, strengthening identity and lighting the path forward,” Federation Board Chair Sondra Friedman said.

Schreiber is continuing her advocacy work through Hillel International, where she serves as the manager of their Campus Impact Advisors Program.

PJ Library Manager Bridey Stangler accepted the award for Program of the Year on behalf of the Hanoch Piven Artist-in-Residence Weekend. In March, Israeli artist Hanoch Piven visited Kansas City for a weekend program for the entire Jewish community. Led by Stangler, the program involved children, families, teens, adults, seniors and educators from across the Jewish community.

The weekend was a collaboration between PJ Library and Jewish Experiences. It was supported by a network of community partners, including multiple congregations, all the area's religious schools, Village Shalom, Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy (HBHA) and the Michael Klein Collection at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah.

Over the course of the weekend program, Piven led nine different events across the community. Students at HBHA and Sunday schools explored Jewish values through self-portraiture. Overall, the program reached more than a thousand participants.

“Teachers saw students more deeply engaged in conversations about Jewish values and self-expression. Families described the experience as transformative, and our partners spoke of new relationships and collaborations that grew directly out of this shared creative experience,” said Taly Friedman, Federation director of community impact and partnerships.