Samantha Freedman is making waves across the pond. The 18-year-old Brit recently won the crown in the Miss Hertfordshire pageant, and she’ll now go on to participate in the three-day Miss England 2007 competition, taking place at the end the month. “It’s weird, I still can’t believe it,” said Freedman, who belongs to Radlett & Bushey Reform Synagogue and celebrates the Sabbath every Friday night with her family. “I was holding another girl’s hand when they called my name. She kept saying, ‘Go, go, go!’”

Freedman, who lives in Aldenham, a town north of London, will begin studies in September at Kingston University, where she hopes to pursue a degree in fashion design. But for the next month she’ll be busy preparing for Miss England, where she’ll perform on piano in the talent segment of the competition and don a beaded aqua gown. “I’m looking forward to it, but I’m getting a bit nervous,” she said. “It’ll be a new experience.”

When asked what she hopes to do if she wins the coveted title, Freedman told The Shmooze: “Miss England is very much associated with charities. I’d like to do a lot for charities working with children and disabled children.” Clearly, the notion of tikkun olam was not lost on this beauty.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Match my Passover gift!

$90 → $180 $360 → $720

$180 → $360 Other amount