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.

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