teen profile
by Jennifer Finkel
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local Republican teen earns spot as a House of Representatives page.
ave you ever wondered what it would
be like to work in government in Wash-
, ington, D.C.? Have you ever thought
about what life would be like hustling and bustling
about on Capitol Hill? Brad Fingeroot, 16, of West
Bloomfield has a special opportunity to find out.
Out of thousands of applicants from across the
country, Brad was chosen one of 24 students who
will work for a semester as a page for the Repub-
lican side of the House of Representatives. He is
sponsored by Congressman Mike Rogers, a Repub-
lican who represents Michigan's 8th Congressional
District, which includes part of Oakland County.
Brad leaves for Washington on Jan. 24 and will
work there until June 3. He will live in the Page
Resident Hall, a few blocks from the Capitol. He
also will attend classes at the House Page School.
He made arrangements with counselors at West
Bloomfield High School to make sure he can still
get all of his requirements for graduation.
As a page, Brad's duties will include deliver-
ing materials, preparing the House floor, answer-
ing phones and working together as a team with
other pages. Pages are a gross monthly salary of
$1,804.83.
Currently, Brad is a junior at WBHS, where he
is on the ski team. He also is member of Temple
Israel. On the surface, Brad is like most other teen-
agers: He stresses about the ACT, college and his
grade point average. He goes out on the weekends
with his friends and hates homework. Yet, Brad has
passions unlike those of his friends. He is dedicat-
ed to government and the Republican Party.
With most teenagers tend to be more liberal,
Brad is very much a Republican. In fact, he is chair-
,
an abundance of camaraderie, posi-
tive energy and pure joy that went
into every group song and dance
we shared.
I will never forget the beauti-
ful Havdalah service when we all
came together to bid farewell to
Shabbat. It was a spiritually uplift-
ing time, and I recall gazing around
during the Havdalah service at all
the smiling faces; I thought to my-
self there was no other place I want-
ed to be at that moment. This was
where I belonged.
I was proud I knew who I was;
and even prouder to see 200 other
Jewish teens feeling the same way.
Michigan's new governor Rick Snyder with Brad Fingeroot,
who will be a House of Representatives page starting Jan. 24
man of the Oakland County Teenage Republicans.
"It is my job to increase exposure to conserva-
tive thought and gather support among our young-
er generation," he said. He does this by posting
Facebook statuses about various government top-
ics, talking with his friends about issues and writing
political commentary for Benzinga.com , an online
business and financial news service.
Brad's interest in government and politics was
sparked by a desire to help others. He works to make
Michigan better through political action. To that
end, he has worked on numerous local campaigns
for Republican candidates: Paul Welday, Lois Shul-
man and John Mohyi. He has also worked for 48th
District Court Judge Kimberly Small.
He believes that government should be limited,
and that we should be allowed to plan out our lives
without the government dictating what we can or
cannot do. He puts an emphasis on personal re-
sponsibility and allowing Americans to run their
own country. These beliefs reinforce his interests
in politics and being a Republican.
Brad says being Jewish provides him with an an-
swer to bleak times. Judaism gives him a remind-
er that we can get through it all. With all of our
hardships as Jews and the way we have persevered
since ancient times, the evidence that there will al-
ways be a light at the end is clear.
He says his dedication to the Jewish community
and to standing for what he believes in comes from
his paternal grandfather, Ben Fingeroot, who was
one of the first men to enlist in the Israeli Air Force
after World War II. He had been in the U.S. Air
Force during the war.
"His passion for justice and selflessness have
helped me shape me as an individual," said Brad,
who is the son of Howard and Vicky Fingeroot.
With his devotion to this country and its govern-
ment, Brad seems headed toward some kind of
political office.
"Not within the foreseeable future," he said, but
added that "people should run for political office
because they have an inner desire to help their
community and protect our nation."
For now, he looks forward to being in the center
of some of the action as a page on Capitol Hill.
Who knows what the future
might bring?
Jennifer Finkel, 17, Is a junior at West
Bloomfield High School.
There are very few Jewish kids at
Walled Lake Northern High School,
so there are not many opportunities to
connect with Judaism in that environ-
ment. Since Yarchei Kallah, I now say
prayers each morning before I leave
for school, and I regularly wear my
Star of David necklace to school.
I have always been proud of being
° (-5
Jewish, but thanks to NCSY and Yar-
chei
Kallah, I have become more self-
.
r! aware and willing to accept a more
Jewish perspective on life and incor-
porate it in my daily routine. It helped
Frankel Jewish Academy Juniors Leah Berlin and
me better understand many things I
Kayla Winer in the Wonka section of Toys "R" Us
was uncertain about or questioned
during Yarchei Kallah week.
about Judaism.
.
71.1k.r
Connecting with my Jewish heri-
tage and tradition is very important to
me, even more so since experiencing
Yarchei Kallah, which provided me
with many life lessons, not to mention
many new friends, whom I hope to
carry with me always.
Thanks to Yarchei Kallah, Judaism
now plays a more prominent part in
my life — spiritually, physically and
emotionally. {
Batsheva Honig, 16, is
a sophomore at Walled
Lake Northern High
School.
teen2teen January 20 . 2011 TT3