When Matthew Brooks '87 was a student at Brandeis, he was highly involved in the college political scene. Yet even with this early political interest, who knew he would go on to meet with every Republican president since Reagan, among other accomplishments.
Working on Jack Kemp's presidential campaign in the 1988 elections and bringing Greek life to Brandeis are just two of the accomplishments of alumnus Brooks, who is the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Jewish Policy Center.
While he says it was challenging being in the Republican minority at Brandeis, Brooks was not without opportunities. "I remember at my first meeting for the Brandeis College Republicans, there were about six or 10 people, but [we] were able to build the College Republicans chapter into the third largest in Massachusetts," Brooks said.
Brandeis, according to Brooks, is unique because, unlike the apathy towards politics present on many other campuses at that time, Brooks said a concern for politics "seems to be ingrained in the DNA" of the University. He also said that at Brandeis, "whatever your views are, there are ways to be active and immerse yourself, [and] that kind of energy fueled my interests in politics."
Brooks rose to the position of state chairman of the Massachusetts College Republicans while at Brandeis. In this role, he learned "valuable lessons about building something with challenging conditions. You have to work hard at it. Brandeis served as the perfect launching pad," he said.
The opportunity to assume such leadership roles as an undergraduate helped him to learn responsibilities. In addition to his political involvement, Brooks sparked the unrecognized Greek system at Brandeis as he founded the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity chapter at Brandeis.
"I thought there was a need for it," he said. "My friends at other schools told me how the Greek system really added to the campus spirit, build friendships, brotherhoods, and so I felt that was lacking at the time." It all began when the national AEPi fraternity realized that Greek life was not technically banned in the Brandeis Charter. They contacted the Brandeis College Republicans, and their president, Brooks, responded by working with the student senate to start an AEPi chapter at Brandeis.
The initial chapter of AEPi was temporarily disbanded by the national chapter in fall 2011 due to the unstable relationship it held with the national chapter. It was brought back recently with the goal of starting new and reinstating many of the values that Brooks hoped to instill with the organization.
There was no shortage of classes and professors that Brooks found exciting. His favorite classes included "U.S. Government and Congress" with Prof. Peter Woll (POL), "American Government" with John Anderson, a visiting professor who ran against President Ronald Reagan in the 1980 election as independent, and Prof. Jerry Cohen's (AMST) classes.
Brooks was actually on the pre-med track at Brandeis and had planned on going to medical school after graduation. Although he enjoyed his science courses, he ultimately chose politics because of his experience working because of a special internship experience.
He went to work in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1986 as a congressional intern for Kemp, who ran for president in 1988 against President George H.W. Bush. He felt as though this was an opportunity he could not let pass. Kemp served as a good friend and mentor. He recalls his time in Washington as an "eye-opening experience [that had a] dramatic impact [on me]. Working on a presidential campaign left [me] smitten with politics. There was no going back after this."
His experience working with Kemp, as well as field work in New Hampshire, helped to spark his interest in politics. His growing passion for politics allowed him to attain the position of political director of RJC in 1988, and he became the executive director two years later.
Although Brook's role involves working for the betterment of the Jewish community and solidifying its ties with the republican community, he says his religious views are separate from his political decisions. "I don't know that my religion really has [influenced my politics]," he said.
Brooks feels fortunate for having sat in meetings with prime ministers from Israel and feels inspired by his colleagues at the RJC. "I have learned from my mentors, philanthropists and an incredible string of people that it is worth spending time to support a cause that you believe in and hopefully give back to the community," he said.