I am a junior in Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence, New York. I am a participant on my school’s debate and mock trial teams, as well as having co-founded an in-school publication focused on student expression and artistry called the Rambam Reverie. I greatly enjoy public speaking, namely political and/or philosophical debate, as it has greatly helped me socialize and connect with others. I also believe that understanding both the world and the views of those in it is absolutely essential to be an active participant in helping shape the world for the better. My other interests include music, cooking (which I will forever defend as an art form), literature and I enjoy reading history in my spare time. I am extremely grateful to be able to participate, and hopefully represent the Jewish people, in Nationals for PFD this year, and cannot thank anyone who supports me enough for this amazing opportunity.

I am a graduating senior at the Frisch School in New Jersey, and looking forward to attending the University of Chicago after spending a year studying at Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel. I am so excited to be captain of this year’s World Schools Debate Team. Debate has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my life, building the ability to transform thoughts, opinions, and perspectives into speech. When I’m not debating or geeking out over politics, law, or random trivia, you can usually find me binge watching a drama on Netflix (right now it’s Better Call Saul). The opportunity to compete in Nationals, at the highest level of speech and debate, is something that I have always dreamed about, and I am incredibly honored to be able to represent the Orthodox Jewish community at Nationals.

Hi! My name is Gabi Flatto-Katz, and I am a tenth grader at the Ramaz Upper School in Manhattan. I wear many hats– Eugene Jerome in Neil Simone’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, hoodie brand designer, published poet or even Lord Farquaad in my school’s production of Shrek the Musical. For years, I thought these artistic backgrounds of mine, in theater or design, had zero relation to my interest in politics, my love for good discussions or my routine of reading the newspaper every Shabbat. But when I began competitive debate, I found a place where these two aspects of my character became one. I had to ensure that my arguments where logically sound, my rebuttals were rooted in fact, and my cross examinations pinpointed the holes in my opponents claims. But equally important was presentation. All those times my microphone had malfunctioned mid-performance, and I had to use the strength of my voice to compensate, prepared me to project when I speak. All the improv classes I had taken taught me to think on my feet and prepare rebuttals in minutes or seconds. Debate was the art of mixing intellect and performance– merging my two passions. All of a sudden, I was no longer split between two worlds. Every minute I spent in rehearsel I was really practicing my speaking skills, every moment reading and writing poetry I was learning the art of organizing thoughts. Everything I did to build my artistic skill helped my debate skills, and vice versa. I am honored and excited to be able to participate in this year's National Debate Championships, to represent the Modern-Orthodox community and area that represents my passion. 

I’m a sophomore at Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Chicago, where I compete in Original Oratory on the speech and debate team. Oratory has become a space where I can advocate and raise awareness for issues that matter to me and give a voice to those that don’t always get heard. Outside of speech and debate, I’m involved in the soccer and cross country team at my school, head and founder of the finance club. and enjoy reading. I’m honored to be competing on a national level and am excited to use my voice to make a difference.

I am a freshman at North Shore Hebrew Academy High School, in Great Neck, New York. I’ve always enjoyed acting on stage, and I am looking forward to competing in Humorous Interpretation this June. In addition to my involvement in Model Congress and Debate, I enjoy writing for my school newspaper and participating in Mock Trial, College Bowl, and the math team. In my free time, I enjoy playing piano and solving 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles. I am grateful and excited for this wonderful opportunity!

I am a senior at North Shore Hebrew Academy High School. While I discovered debate because of my attraction to public speaking and nuanced argumentation, Big Questions Debate has provided an outlet for me to explore my interests in science and philosophy. I am a self-proclaimed STEM nerd: I conducted astrophysics research through the Summer Science Program, I coach the North Shore math team, and I run biweekly coding classes at my local library. On the humanities side, I am a guest Op-Ed columnist for the Long Island Herald, co-Editor in Chief of my school’s newspaper, and president of our Model Congress team. (I also love solving Rubik's Cubes in my free time)! Over the past four years, debate has allowed me to integrate my various interests, and I am grateful and excited for the opportunity to attend Nationals and pursue them further.

I am a senior at SKA and I am super excited to have qualified to go to Nationals for a second time where I will be competing in Informative Speaking. I joined my school’s debate team upon entering high school in 9th grade. In addition to participating in debate, I have competed in many model congress tournaments through Citron and the yeshiva league. I am also a writer for my school’s mental health newsletter, head of lighting for our school production, and book club member. Outside of school I am a  volunteer for multiple organizations such as Friendship Circle and Sunday Smiles. My time participating in debate has allowed me to learn research tactics, meet other like minded individuals, and learn to better defend topics that I am passionate about. I am extremely proud to be representing the Jewish community at Nationals this June and I hope that this is the road to even more Jewish students having the ability to compete on the national level. 

I am a freshman from Emet Classical Academy in Manhattan, New York, and I am so excited to be on the World Schools Debate team this year! Ever since I was young, I loved debating and hearing different ideas, so when I heard that there was going to be a debate team at my school, I was ecstatic! I was lucky to be able to try many different debate styles, including public forum, congress, and extempt speech, all of which I enjoyed. I think that ever since I started debating, I have learned how to speak more cohesively and confidently. Other than debating, I enjoy doing Martial Arts, playing chess, and reading. I also became interested in medicine recently. I am so grateful for this opportunity to debate so many talented people and am overall so excited!

My Name is Shmuly Nerenberg. I am a sophomore at SAR High School in Riverdale, New York. I compete in Model Congress, where I’ve found a passion for the intersection of public speaking, legislation, and critical thinking. One of my favorite parts of Model Congress is the chance to engage deeply with real-world policy issues – whether I’m challenging the scope of government power in natural disaster relief or debating the role of cryptocurrency in a modern economy. I’ve learned how to build thoughtful, compelling arguments while also listening to perspectives with which I don’t always agree. Outside of debate, I’m a member of my school’s finance club and play on the floor hockey team. I’m incredibly honored to compete at Nationals this year and represent a team and community that values thoughtful discourse and civic engagement.

I’m a junior at North Shore Hebrew Academy High School in Great Neck, New York, and I am so excited and grateful to have the privilege of competing at Nationals in Congressional Debate! As the captain of my school’s debate team, I have been able to develop not only my public speaking skills, but also my ability to think critically about issues that face the world. Aside from Model Congress and Debate, I love exploring new perspectives by co-hosting a podcast about advocacy, serving on the NY council for an environmental nonprofit, and working on mental health initiatives. I also edit my school’s newspaper, compete in mock trials, and am co-president of my school’s environmental club. In my free time, you can find me immersed in all things music, whether that be singing, listening, or playing it on the piano! Each of these activities have really helped me gain knowledge about the world, enabling my debate skills to progress incredibly. I can’t wait to pursue my passions on a higher level and am so grateful to anyone who supports me in this opportunity!

I am a freshman at HAFTR high school in Cedarhurst, NY. I am so incredibly grateful to be competing at the national level. Debate was never something I was interested in, but I wanted to try something new. I have competed actively In Lincoln-Douglas Debate throughout he year. I can now say that developing both sides of the argument, even when only agreeing with one, has allowed my perspective on things to be much more complex. Having always had anxiety, especially when presenting in front of the class, the aspect of debate that drew me in the most was that people who do it typically speak well and are seen as confident. Debate has helped me develop these habits to a degree where I have greatly improved my comfort level when giving speeches. Outside of debate, this year I have been involved in volunteering for Israel, helping pack gear for soldiers and families, and baking for a bake sale that raises money for displaced families due to the war. I’m very excited to compete at Nationals to pursue my passion even further.

I am a sophomore at Kohelet Yeshiva High School in Lower Merion, PA, but I live in Cherry Hill, NJ. I am so excited to be a part of this year’s National team. I have competed in Speech and Debate for a while now. Through Citron I compete in Congress, Lincoln Douglas, and World Schools Debate, and outside of Citron I have competed in Model Congress since 7th grade. In addition to debate, I have many other extracurricular activities, both academic and athletic. On the academic side, I participate in the Reading Olympics and am a photographer for a Jewish literary magazine. On the athletic side, I play soccer, and softball. In my community, I engage in NCSY and Bnei Akiva as both a participant and an advisor, and I work as a group leader at my synagogue. However, none of these activities have helped me nearly as much as debate. Debate has helped me find my voice and learn to be confident and outspoken in my opinions. I have made steadfast and caring friendships through debate that have shaped me as a person. I cannot wait to continue growing at Nationals 2025!

I am a sophomore at Ida crown Jewish academy in Chicago. I compete in prose and storytelling, which I love because I am able to step into someone else’s shoes. It helps me to see things from other people’s perspectives and I love to make people laugh. Outside of debate I am on my school’s cross country team, girls inspiration club and I am also a gymnastics coach. I’m so grateful to be competing at a national level and I can’t wait to bring smiles to peoples faces and find my voice.

Hi, I’m Yoni Pfeifer, a junior at Rambam Mesivta, located in Lawrence, New York, where I compete in Public Forum Debate. I remember looking at my first couple of debate prompts, thinking of how boring they seemed, but ultimately, that’s what made me fall in love with debate. It was the weird, annoying, niche-looking topics that I enjoyed the most because of how they forced me out of my comfort zone, making me learn about topics I never would've otherwise explored. In addition to debate, I am the lead coordinator of my school's Dvar Torah publication, and love bouldering, baking, and traveling in my spare time. I am extremely excited and honored to have the privilege of competing in Public Forum Debate this year at the national tournament!

I am a freshman at Emet Classical Academy, in New York City. I am so
honored to be competing at the national level, especially in my first
year of high school. Debate is something that I have always been
afraid to try, but now that I have, I am extremely passionate about it
and grateful for everything it has taught me. This year, I have
experimented with a few different debate styles, and every single one
has been so enjoyable and rewarding. Outside of Debate, I have been
playing piano for 7 years and just this year, I started doing Krav
Maga at my school. I also enjoy reading, baking, and have a deep
interest in psychology and criminal law. I am so grateful for this
opportunity, not only that I get to compete against some of the most
talented individuals, but also that I can represent my Jewish
community.

I am a senior at Rambam Mesivta, I’m also on Mock Trial, Book Chat, and various other clubs relating to literature and writing. Model congress has allowed me to really look at the process of analyzing actual laws, and it has also let me minimize my stutter to the point where it’s practically gone. I’m excited to go to Nationals to be in a more competitive environment and learn new skills.

I am a sophomore at HAFTR High School in Cedarhurst, New York . I am the first student in our District to triple qualify to attend the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Tournament for Lincoln-Douglas Debate, the Senate in Congressional Debate, and Big Questions Debate. I will be competing for the Lincoln-Douglas Championship. I am very passionate about debate and  have gained valuable skills while competing. Debating has improved my  public speaking and communication skills.  I have also gained considerable knowledge on current events, and a foundation in philosophy.  Competing in debate has given my academic drive an outlet for building success while providing an intellectual challenge. I enjoy the challenge in debate that is looking at both sides to the same argument and defending both sides in different debate rounds. Competing in debate has also improved my connection to my Jewish heritage as debate is central in the religion as many Jewish scholars have debated on the Jewish faith throughout history. In my free time I enjoy reading literature, solving puzzles, sewing, cooking, and baking. I am grateful to have the opportunity to represent my community at the National Tournament.

I am a freshman at Emet Classical Academy, and I am excited to be competing in U.S. Extemporaneous Speech at Nationals this year. I first joined my school’s speech and debate team because I had always loved talking and debating growing up, and once I got involved, I immediately fell in love with it. What I enjoy most about extemp is the ability to learn how to speak clearly and confidently, and to communicate complex ideas to an audience in a powerful way. Through debate, I have become a more confident speaker and find myself constantly engaging in thoughtful discussions with those around me. Outside of speech and debate, I am part of the Me'ever Youth Movement, pursue business-related projects, volunteer at DOROT, play guitar, and love to cook. I am especially proud to be part of the first year that Orthodox Jewish students are representing our community in U.S. Extemporaneous Speech at Nationals. I am excited to give it my all and to take away as much as I can from this amazing experience.

I’m a junior at the Ramaz School in New York City, where I’m fortunate to be involved in a variety of extracurricular activities, from Model UN and Model Congress to ICE (In Case of Emergency), AIPAC, and hockey. While I’ve always been passionate about public speaking, each of these activities has offered me a unique way to engage with different issues and ideas. Model UN and Model Congress have given me invaluable experience in diplomacy and policy, but debate has always felt like the place where my true voice comes alive. The art of crafting arguments on the fly, responding to new ideas, and pushing my own thinking has challenged me in ways that are both difficult and rewarding.

I’m incredibly grateful for the support and patience of my family throughout my debate journey—especially when I’ve turned family dinners into impromptu cross-examinations. Their understanding, even when they’re not always thrilled to be roped into my discussions, has been a constant source of encouragement. Competing at Nationals is not just an opportunity to represent my community, but to honor that support and the values they’ve instilled in me. I’m excited for the chance to continue growing in an activity that has shaped my ability to think critically, express myself clearly, and connect with others in meaningful ways.