Samantha Woll, a beloved synagogue leader, was remembered as the “most beloved person in Detroit” by friends and family Sunday after she was fatally stabbed to death just a day earlier, an incident that has the Jewish community in Motor City reeling.
Despite the killing’s headline-grabbing nature—and a charged environment made worse given the recent war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas—police are urging the community to be patient as their investigation continues.
Precious few details about the incident have been made public, though Detroit Police Chief James E. White said in a statement Sunday that “no evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism.” He asked that the community continue to remain patient as the investigation is ongoing saying, “Everything that can be done to bring this matter to closure is being called into service.”
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Meanwhile a funeral was held for Woll on Sunday afternoon at Hebrew Memorial Chapel in Oak Park, Michigan, with a cross-section of local leaders lining up to sing her praises.
Woll, 40, was the president of the board of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and active in Democratic campaigns for local politics—including the current Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who spoke at her memorial service.
“I know as of this moment we still don’t know who the monster is who took Sam from us or what possible reason there would be for God to allow a person such as her to be taken so soon, but Sam did more for our our community, our state, our world, our lives in her short time here on earth than most will ever accomplish in a thousand lifetimes over,” Nessel said.
Multiple speakers noted Woll’s ability to bring people together. Her sister, Monica, read a letter to her sister, saying: “You were the kindest, most generous human I’ve ever met. If someone complimented something of yours, you took it off and gave it to them.”
“This was not supposed to happen,” she continued. “A light has gone out in Detroit, in our hearts, for our people, for the world.”
Arianna Silverman, a friend who previously worked with Woll at the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, fondly recalled Woll’s ability to connect with anyone she came across.
“So many people think of her as someone with whom they had a particularly close or important relationship and each of them is right,” she said.
Police originally found Woll’s body early Saturday morning after a 911 caller reported an unresponsive person near her home, local reports said.
Police have yet to identify a suspect or a motive in the case, and the FBI has stepped in to aid in forensic analysis.
