On Saturday (21st October), Detroit synagogue president Samantha Woll (age 40) was found stabbed to death outside her home in the Detroit city’s Lafayette Park neighbourhood, east of downtown. The Detroit Police discovered several stab wounds and a blood trail leading to her residence, where the crime most likely occurred. The news of the murder has come as the war between the Jewish country Israel and the Islamist terrorist organisation Hamas rages on in the Middle East.
Woll was the head of the board of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Downtown Detroit, the synagogue said in a Facebook post. The Facebook post said, “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected death of Samantha Woll, our Board President. At this point, we do not have more information but will share more when it becomes available. May her memory be a blessing.”
Detroit Police Chief James White, in a statement released on Saturday evening, urged the public to remain patient and assured that an update regarding the investigation would be provided on Sunday. He said, “Over the last several hours, the DPD has mobilised many of its resources and has been leveraging every law enforcement and community resource it has to help further the investigation. Understandably, this crime leaves many unanswered questions.”
The Detroit police have not yet determined the motive behind the crime. They were informed about the unresponsive woman leader discovered lying on the ground at approximately 6:30 AM and pronounced her dead. Gabrielle Szlenkier, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Detroit field office, confirmed that the FBI is aware of the case and is providing assistance to the Detroit police as requested.
Notably, In 2017, Samantha Woll was chosen as one of the “36 under 36” achievers by The Detroit Jewish News. The publication highlighted her role as the co-chair of the American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS Detroit Young Leadership Program. Additionally, she was recognised as the founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit, a grassroots initiative focused on fostering connections among young adults of these two faiths.
Samantha Woll also headed the Isaac Agree Downtown Detroit Synagogue since 2022. Before this role, she was engaged with the Democratic Party, having served under Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin and contributed to the re-election campaign of Attorney General Dana Nessel.