18 | NOVEMBER 2 • 2023 J
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OUR COMMUNITY
continued from page 16
naysayers alike. Her warmth could persuade
even the hardest heart of the loudest heckler.
“Sam gave everything of herself but asked
for nothing in return. She only ever wanted
to be of assistance to others. Samantha Woll
may have been the nicest person I have ever
met or will ever meet in my lifetime.
”
AN INSPIRATION
In speaking to friends in the days follow-
ing Woll’s death, Sen. Stephanie Chang
says it was no doubt Woll’s friendship and
presence on Earth inspired
many to become better peo-
ple.
“
And I know she was bring-
ing people from the Jewish
and Muslim faiths together. It
is so clear her interfaith work
will continue on and last a
long time through the impact
she made on her friends of many religious
beliefs.”
Chang saw Woll at a friend’s wedding
the Friday evening before her death.
Seeing Woll so happy, having so much fun,
while engaging in fruitful conversation,
was the ultimate snapshot of someone so
full of life.
“When I said goodbye to her, she was
chatting it up with a couple sitting next to
us that she had just met. And, of course,
being who she was, they had already
become friends and were engrossed in
some deep conversation,” Chang recalled.
“I’m so glad my last memories of Sam are
of happiness and love.”
Woll and Aisha Farooqi of Sterling
Heights became friends after having been
in similar political circles.
The friends didn’t begin
discussing interfaith work
until Farooqi’s involvement
with the Muslim Jewish
Advisory Council of
Detroit, a group focused
on creating dialogue and
understanding between the
two communities.
“Bringing the two communities togeth-
er was so important to Sam, especially
in difficult times as we’ve seen recently,”
Farooqi recalled. “The last time Sam and I
The Intersection
of Faith and Politics
My friendship with Samantha Woll began
with an interfaith event to celebrate
light: A few Hindus and
Jews gathered on a rainy
evening in November 2015
over latkes and samosas, to
share the meaning of Diwali
and Chanukah. I discovered
a kindred spirit in her, and
our relationship flourished
through the opportunities
for interfaith engagement that we both
sought out as leaders in our respective
faith-based advocacy organizations.
Our paths literally crossed in D.C.,
as my Hindu American Foundation’s
Michigan contingent was walking into
Sen. Gary Peters’ office when the
American Jewish Committee’s Michigan
contingent was leaving. We shared
dinner one evening when the Indian
Embassy hosted members of the AJC’s
Global Advocacy Forum, and swapped
stories of similar challenges we face
advocating for pluralism and the well-
being and safety of Jews and Hindus
around the world.
We established more common ground
with our interest in progressive politics,
articulated through our shared values:
fighting against stereotypes and racial
bias, protecting public education and our
planet, valuing kindness and compassion
for the vulnerable. Sam lit up any room
with her smile, and her intensity and
intelligence was even more apparent
when we both crossed paths working on
now-Sen. Stephanie Chang’s reelection
campaign to the State House in 2016.
So, in 2017, when I was talking to key
people as I decided whether to run
for the State House, one of the most
important conversations I had was with
Sam. I knew that I wanted her to be
my “political spouse.” During my initial
political training, I was told that I needed
a campaign manager who I could say
anything to, fight with and reconcile,
someone who would listen but also be
strong enough to give me direction. She
took on the Herculean task of managing
a campaign for a Democrat, a first-time
candidate, an Asian immigrant, in a tra-
ditionally Republican district that others
had tried to win before me.
Sam was organized, always well turned
out and gracious with everyone: volun-
teers, donors and voters. She took on
any task, was so loyal and committed
to this race, and knew how to deal with
my insecurities and the challenges that
presented themselves. When we had to
unexpectedly develop a mailer program
at the 11th hour, she recruited a seasoned
campaigner to give us advice, worked
with a designer and someone to print
and mail the completed flyers, exemplify-
ing grace under pressure (learned from
her wonderful mom, Margo).
Sam gave me the reassurance I
needed when a day on the canvassing
or fundraising front was disappointing,
always a cheerleader who believed in
me. She led our dynamic duo, and the
entire movement we created to suc-
cess that November because she also
believed in the importance of the grass-
roots community engagement that she
embodied.
Our solemn conversations about the
intersections of faith and politics became
especially relevant during the final weeks
of that campaign. She had a clear under-
standing that two things can be true:
an American can be Hindu or Jewish
and still want to protect the people and
sacred spaces in their spiritual homeland,
all while protecting our Muslim friends
and neighbors against Islamophobia.
Sam stood against terrorism and vio-
lence anywhere, and ensured that labels
don’t define us, constantly challenging
binary thinking. I am devastated by the
brutality of her murder and also that I will
not have a chance to see what else she
could have achieved. Samantha Woll
was love and light in action.
Padma Kuppa was a member of the Michigan
House of Representatives from the 41st House
District, which encompasses the cities of Troy and
Clawson, from 2019 to 2022.
Sen.
Stephanie
Chang
Aisha
Farooqi
continued on page 20
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