On Thursday, December 1st, the Model Congress team departed for Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, to compete in the team’s first competition of the year. The ten Ramaz students, overseen by faculty advisor Dr. Jon Jucovy, rigorously prepared for weeks in advance. However, they were unsure of what to expect of the first in-person event held in two years.
During their time at Yale, students spent time debating bills, hosting committee sessions, and eventually voting on whether to enact legislation which they had written and edited. Sophie Obstfeld ’25 said, “I definitely feel like the procedure was a bit confusing at first, but after I got comfortable with it, I really enjoyed getting involved in the debate and making my voice heard.”

On Shabbat, the Ramaz delegation spent time at the Slifka Center for Jewish Life at Yale. The team members agreed that it was nice to take part in the Jewish community and spend time at Slifka.
The team came away from the weekend highly successful with a total of four awards. Josh Chetrit ’23 and Rebecca Kalimi ’23, two of the team’s captains, were awarded with Honorable Mentions, and so was sophomore Sophie Obstfeld ’25. Leo Eigen ’25 received Best Legislation for his committee. Though not formally recognized, Raymond Ashkenazie ’24, Mussie Zalmanov ’24, Charles Gribetz ’25, Morris Dweck ’25, Ayla Zwillinger ’25, and Caleb Tambor ’24 were praised and commended by the Yale University judges and by countless participants from other delegations for excellence in public speaking and bill-writing. The team very much enjoyed the time at Yale Model Congress. Looking back on the weekend, Gribetz ’25 explained: “It was definitely an interesting experience, and one I look forward to having again when we go to Harvard [to compete] soon.”