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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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Padma 
Kuppa

