16 | NOVEMBER 2 • 2023 J
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OUR COMMUNITY

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all backgrounds at Hebrew 
Memorial Chapel in Oak Park. 
The service, which took place 
just one day after Woll’s senseless 
death, an end to an impactful life 
with still so much to give, saw 
family, friends and community 
gather to share memories and 
attempt to find consolation in 
those memories. 
In her eulogy, Dr. Monica Woll 
Rosen passionately described 
her older sister as 
the glue of the fam-
ily and the kindest, 
most generous 
human she had ever 
met.
“There’s nothing 
you wouldn’t do 
for your family and 
friends. Your soul was beautiful 
and pure. You loved with all your 
heart,
” Rosen said through tears. 
“You so deeply wanted peace for 
this world. You fought for every-
one, regardless of who they were 
or where they came from. You 
were the definition of a leader. 
You brought us light.
”
The last text message Woll sent 
was a heart emoji to a friend. 
“Just because,
” Rosen recalled 
of her sister. “You sent hearts to 
cheer people up and let them 
know you were thinking of them. 
Because you cared.
“The outpouring of love for 
you is a token to your many 
friendships. There isn’t a soul on 
this planet who didn’t adore you.
”
To her nieces and nephews, she 
was “
Aunt Sam,
” the perfect aunt 
who loved them as if they were 
her own kids. As a traveler, artist 
and an intelligent, worldly human 
being, “
Aunt Sam” enjoyed teach-
ing them about pretty much 
anything. 
“They soaked up whatever 
knowledge you imparted on 
them,
” Rosen said. “You brought 
them books from around the 
world. Every birthday was 

markers and books. You wanted 
to open their eyes and let them be 
creative.
” 
Woll was known as the most 
loving daughter. Making her par-
ents happy was a No. 1 priority. 
She was always there for them.

A CONTAGIOUS SMILE
Woll had a welcoming, warm, 
genuine smile that perfectly 
reflected her personality. That 
smile will never be forgotten by 
her loved ones. 
“She walked into the room and 
lit up with a light that warmed 
all of us. Her soul warmed all of 
us,” said Sam’s cousin, Jennifer. 
“She was quick to laugh and 
make others laugh because deep 
down she wanted to put other 
people at ease, at peace and to 
bring them together. And that’s 
what she did.”
Rabbi Ariana Silverman of 
IADS remembers Woll’s joyful, 
contagious smile on Shabbat 
mornings, affirming she was in 

a place she loved, 
doing what she 
loved, with the peo-
ple she loved. 
“I think we 
underestimate how 
much we need to 
see joy. And she 
had so much joy 
in what she did. It’s easy to get 
worn down and skeptical. But 
she smiled, and it was genuine. 
It was something that could give 
you a little bit more strength 
when you needed it.” 
In her role as IADS president, 
Woll’s priority, above all, was to 
engage with the community. She 
led with vigor and enthusiasm. 
She was always fully present and 
eager to quickly treat a synagogue 
newcomer as if they were a life-
long friend. 
She was always willing to listen 
to different, new ideas. She want-
ed everyone at the table to feel 
seen and heard. She worked to 
inspire leadership in everyone she 

came across. 
“The title of IADS board pres-
ident does not begin to describe 
how integral Sam was to our 
community, how much love she 
put into it, or how much she was 
loved,
” Silverman said.
After Woll’s death, an 
individual from the Muslim 
community who Woll worked 
with reached out to Silverman, 
who had never met them. The 
individual offered their condo-
lences and then proceeded to 
extend their hand to Silverman 
in hopes to connect and start 
working together, just because 
Woll meant a lot to both of 
them. 
“There’s something beautiful 
about that,” Silverman said. “I 
wish I could do that with every 
person Sam was connected 
to, because those connections 
matter.” 
At the funeral service, Attorney 
General Nessel remarked that 
while looking back at pictures 
of Woll, it was as if she was 
omnipresent. She was at every 
campaign event, political protest, 
religious service, ribbon-cutting 
and beyond. 
“I think I saw her in a picture 
of the moon landing,
” Nessel 
joked in her speech. “I don’t know 
how she could be in so many 
places at the same time.
” 
On the campaign trail, Woll 
was Nessel’s right-hand woman. 
She was always prepared and 
was in possession of anything 
anybody needed at a moment’s 
notice, from stickers and flyers to 
Chapstick and a nail file. 
Woll embodied all of the char-
acteristics that cannot be taught, 
Nessel said — passion, boundless 
energy and an innate need to 
always give back and do good.
“She could seamlessly engage 
in any crowd, no matter where,
” 
Nessel reminisced. “She could 
charm everyone, celebrities and 

Monica 
Woll Rosen 

Samantha Woll and Yevgeniya Gazman 
at this year’s Pride event.

Rabbi 
Ariana 
Silverman

