This year's case asked students to consider the legal liability and responsibility for the actions of a self-driving car through the lens of Jewish law. Students also put forth an opinion on how self-driving cars should be programmed to meet the highest Jewish ethical standards. The KYHS delegation consisted of seniors Miriam Gammerman and Lana Rosenthal and junior Ty Kay and was supported by advisor Rabbi Benjy Horowitz.  The team earned the the second place prize in the Abella division of the competition, the division that requires teams to find their own argument sources.

For months leading up to the competition, Gammerman, Rosenthal and Kay, with the help of Rabbi Horowitz, analyzed the case and searched for Talmudic sources in order to develop a coherent position. After much research, they drafted a ten page paper detailing their ruling on the case, submitted it, and began formulating their oral presentation. 

While this was the third year that Katz Yeshiva High School has participated in the competition, each of the students on the team was new to the competition. Rabbi Horowitz, who guided the students through the research and writing process, said, "My students who participate in Moot Beit Din are motivated to carefully analyze Jewish texts and make connections between the laws and their own lives. Each year I see how this program excites my students and gives them a fresh understanding of Jewish law."

Upon arrival on Thursday afternoon, the students split into groups to focus on the theme of the competition, the increasing role of technology in our lives. They discussed the benefits and distractions of cellphones, computers, and even self-driving cars, the focus of the Moot Beit Din case, and the ways we can employ technology to enhance our world.  During Thursday evening's program, "Shark Tank: Rejewvenating Tech"  teams of students pitched ideas for technology products inspired by Jewish values that bring meaning and purpose to people's lives. On Friday, participants visited the Johnson Space Center, where they toured model shuttle Independence and shuttle carrier aircraft 747 and learned about efforts to land on Mars. Gammerman remarked, "Visiting NASA was one of my favorite parts of the weekend because we were able to explore the theme of the case in a different way.  Between analyzing spaceships and self-driving cars, we got a sense of how technology's impact on our lives is only just beginning. It was an especially meaningful experience because I was able to share it with students from incredibly diverse backgrounds. Whether exploring exhibits together or buying trinkets at the gift shop or spending time with one another throughout the weekend, I realized that we are as similar as we are different. "

Such feelings of camaraderie defined the weekend. Leading up the competition, students spent Shabbat together as a community, participating in text-study sessions, prayer services, and meals. By sharing in these experiences and the competition, they formed a vibrant network of committed and intellectually curious Jewish teenagers that will extend beyond the weekend.  Rosenthal recalled, "I sat with kids from a pluralistic California high school for dinner and ate lunch with girls from a Kentucky public school. Each person at the competition had a different background and relationship to Judaism, but we all came together over our devotion to Jewish Law."

On Sunday morning, after each team had presented their oral arguments and undergone a round of critical questions, judges praised the students for their excellent analyses, sincerity, and commitment. When KYHS was announced as second place winner in the Abella division, team members were ecstatic. Kay stated, "I was incredibly proud of the work we did to create a coherent ruling free of contradictions. We spent hours researching, thinking, and writing, debating back and forth over different positions, addressing sources that did not fit with our rulings. When we finally finished our paper, it was so gratifying to know that I had contributed to that ten-page decision of complicated Jewish law. Winning second place made the experience even more rewarding."