It was a warm springtime day in Haifa, Israel when Anat Gelber and Michael Shapira married in the week before Passover. We from the team of Achte Minute congratulate the two of them and wish them all the best as they embark on their new life together!

The both have a reputation as debaters on the international circuit. Anat Shapira, as is her name since the wedding, was a EUDC finalist in Zagreb in 2003 and in Cork, Ireland in 2005, both in the category of ESL, or English as a Second Language. In 2006, she was awarded Best Speaker (again ESL) at Worlds in Dublin. She also is a renowned adjudicator: Just recently she was deputy chief adjudicator (DCA) at Botswana Worlds earlier this year. Prior to that, she was a DCA at Koç Euros in Turkey in 2007. She is a graduate in Philosophy, majoring now in Normative Ethics.

It was at the very same competition where his wife was a DCA that Michael succeeded at the ESL final in Botswana together with his team mate Meir Yarom. He described this surprising turn of events in a pretty entertaining exclusive interview with Achte Minute. There he also announced he wanted to give something back to the international debating community – that’s why he is seen as a judge more often nowadays: He was CA-ing the Israeli Open Championship and judged finals at the Vienna IV and at the Ankara Open.

Achte Minute will report from their further story since we already announced their public engagement at the Berlin IV in April 2010. Congrats, Anat and Michael! Mazel tov!

apf / glx