The Weizmann Debating Teams achieved outstanding results at the National Debating Championships held in Johannesburg this past week, proudly representing the Western Cape and our school with distinction.

In the Junior Division (Gr 4 & 5), our D1 Team comprising Tzfat Barr, Malachi Epstein and Harel Shnaps, delivered a remarkable performance across 6 rounds of debating to reach the final against The Ridge. It was a very closely contested final, and only a few points separated the two teams, with Herzlia Weizmann earning an impressive 2nd place nationally from the 19 teams that participated. Individually, across the 60 speakers involved in this division, Tzfat Barr placed 2nd, Malachi Epstein 3rd, and Harel Shnaps 4th in the country; an extraordinary sweep of the top rankings.

Our D2 Team; comprising Jesse Feinberg, Jamie Burstain and Ashton Musikanth, also excelled, finishing 5th overall. Jesse placed 7th nationally, Jamie earned 19th place (gold), and Ashton placed 25th (silver) in the speaker rankings.

In the Senior Division (Gr 6 & 7), the C1 Team of Ari Crystal, Milo Katz, Benji Balkin, Jonah Bulkin and Rafa Franck secured an excellent 20th place out of 30 top-performing teams nationwide. Individually, Ari Crystal distinguished himself as one of the country’s top speakers, finishing 8th overall out of 130 speakers, earning both a gold medal and a National Trophy.

Among 19 Junior and 30 Senior teams competing from across South Africa, Herzlia Weizmann’s achievements were outstanding. Both D1 and D2 ranked among the Top 5 Junior Teams, while C1 earned a place among the Top 20 Senior Teams. Notably, D1 was named the Top Team in the Western Cape, a superb Provincial honour.

These results reflect the incredible dedication, skill and teamwork of our debaters. Congratulations to all our speakers for their exceptional achievements and for representing Herzlia Weizmann with such pride and excellence!