After nearly six years serving as the executive director of Jewish Community Relations Bureau | AJC Kansas City (JCRB|AJC), Gavriela Geller has announced her departure.
According to an email sent to the community, which included statements from Geller and JCRB|AJC Board President Barry Kaseff, Geller intends to “move on to a new professional chapter.”
“We will be very sorry to see her go. Gavi’s tenure has been extraordinary,” Kaseff said. “She helped to establish a strong strategic path for the organization, effectively integrating the dual missions of both JCRB and AJC into a robust and impactful portfolio of initiatives.
“Gavi and her staff have developed innovative programming that will benefit the organization for years to come. And of course, Gavi has led the community with particular strength and passion after the terrible events of Oct. 7.”
Geller will be assisting with the transition, and the current JCRB|AJC staff will continue with their respective duties. The board will convene a search committee to find a permanent executive director, but in the meantime, Neta Meltzer, the organization’s director of community and government relations, has been named the interim executive director.
“With today’s dramatic increase in the dual forces of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, we are particularly fortunate to have a skilled team in place who will continue to help our community navigate these difficult times,” Kaseff said. “Equally important during any time of transition is the support and partnership of our parent organization, and we are very grateful for our strong relationship with AJC Global.”
In her statement, Geller said the growth of JCRB|AJC was a focus from the beginning. When she joined JCRB|AJC in 2018 — just five days before the Tree of Life shooting — it was only a two-person organization.
“In the five and a half years since, we have significantly expanded our capacity and the capabilities of this organization — allowing us to grow our impact and reach even further across the region,” she said.
Initiatives during Geller’s tenure include creating the Prepare to Respond, Educate to Prevent (PREP) program, training 1150 educators and graduating over 100 Jewish high school students through Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT); developing the organization’s DEI and workplace program, Making Space; helping pass the NO HATE Act in 2021; achieving adoption of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism in Kansas in 2022; IHRA adoption in 12 municipalities in 2023; and securing half a million dollars in the Kansas budget for Jewish community security in 2024.
This past April, JCRB|AJC hosted “Driving Out Darkness in the Heartland,” the region’s first summit on antisemitism, an event that included AJC CEO Ted Deutch and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff as speakers.
JCRB|AJC has become “not just a transformed organization in Kansas City — we are a national model charting new paths in the field. I know that this incredible team will continue to lead our community from strength to strength,” Geller said. “From the very beginning, my vision was to build an organization that did not need me; I wanted to build a team who could continue this vision on behalf of our community. For some time now I have realized that my goal has been reached. And so while moving on is always bittersweet, it is also with great pride that I share that I have accomplished what I set out to do, and I will soon be moving on to a new professional chapter.”
