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mong the countless heartbreaking 
yet beautiful tributes at Samantha 
Woll’s funeral service, Michigan 
Attorney General Dana Nessel reflected on 
the immense outpouring of love from all 
those who knew Woll, following her tragic 
death.
“What stands out to me is these senti-
ments are all so remarkably similar. Sam 
was said to be kind, caring, compassionate, 
sincere, loving, a tenacious advocate and 
supporter of social justice, a woman of 
great faith, with a passion for equal treat-
ment for all people in every space. This 
was not an opinion. This was a fact. This 
wasn’t just how Sam presented to some 
people. It was how Sam treated each and 
every person who ever came into her life.”

Samantha “Sam” Woll, 40, was the cher-
ished daughter of Drs. Margo and Douglas 
Woll, and the dear sister and sister-in-law 
of Drs. Monica Woll Rosen and Benjamin 
Rosen. 
Woll was born and raised in Metro 
Detroit, attended Hillel Day School 
and graduated from the University of 
Michigan. She had a passion for traveling 
and loved to explore the world. At heart, 
she was an artist and a lover of all forms of 
art. She appreciated music, theater, opera, 
museums and frequently sought to bring 
artists of all kinds together in unique ways. 
She loved being outside, and nature was 
her happy place. 
Judaism was core to Woll’s identity, as 
was the State of Israel. 

She was heavily involved 
in local, state and national 
politics, serving on the cam-
paigns of Nessel, U.S. Rep. 
Elissa Slotkin and State Sen. 
Stephanie Chang. Woll had 
a deep passion for the city 
of Detroit. She served as 
president of the Isaac Agree 
Downtown Synagogue (IADS), 
a revitalized congregation in the heart of 
Detroit, and helped lead its fundraising 
campaign and recent grand reopening. 
She was widely recognized for her 
tireless activism and passion to make the 
world a better place. She was a Jewish News 
“36 Under 36” awardee in 2017. 

Samantha Woll made an enormous impact on the 
Detroit Jewish community during her short life.

continued on page 14

Samantha Woll holds the Torah at 
this year’s Simchat Torah celebration 
at the Downtown Synagogue.

 JAMIE FELDMAN

Attorney 
General 
Dana 
Nessel 

