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Rabbi Arianna Silverman.
“I’m looking forward to
seeing her name when I walk
into the building and being
able to honor the values she
cherished. It’s both inspiring
and exciting to be able to do
this, and it’s also going to be
very painful and
difficult.”
Rachel
Rudman, IADS
executive
director, added,
“She poured so
much of her heart
and soul into this
place and into the people that
value this place so much. It’s
so special and meaningful
to be able to have her name
permanently associated with
the building, and to have her
legacy and memory live on
here through that.”
When Samantha moved
back to Detroit about 10
years ago, she wanted a place
where she could daven and
observe her religion and
its rituals and traditions.
She found a home in the
Downtown Synagogue.
“She fell in love with the
synagogue, the people and
the service,” said Margo Woll,
Samantha’s mother.
Samantha loved that the
Downtown Synagogue was
accepting of all people. She
had friends there who were
5 years old and 85 years
old. She truly enjoyed the
community aspect of the
synagogue.
“Samantha was extremely
involved in the synagogue
for the last decade. It became
an enormous part of her
life, and she gave a lot to it,”
said Monica Woll Rosen,
Samantha’s sister.
“We felt a fitting
way to recognize
her dedication
and her memory
would be to
always have her
connected in
some way to this
space.”
PHASE 2 COMPLETION
Phase two of the renovation
is completed, highlighted by
the completion of the roof
deck.
The roof deck will be
multipurpose. It will be
used as a regular work and
hangout space during the
workweek for Downtown
Synagogue staff and shared
workspace partners. On
evenings and weekends, it
will be available for programs
and events like small happy
hours, rehearsal dinners
and wedding receptions (the
capacity is about 50 people).
The synagogue is especially
excited to use the roof deck
as a space to put a sukkah
outside. Those interested
in booking the space are
encouraged to reach out to
the synagogue.
The synagogue community
has been beyond excited for
the completed project.
“People have asked to go
up and see it, so we’ve taken
small groups to see the
construction as it’s moved
along,” Rabbi Silverman said.
“There’s something about
being up there that makes
you smile — to see the city,
to feel the sunshine, to know
you’re downtown in the city
of Detroit, it feels very much
like we’re in the place we
belong.”
The completed roof deck
is also linked to the legacy of
Samantha Woll.
“She was actually the one
leading the charge on the
fundraising for the roof deck
build-out, so having that be
Monica
Woll
Rosen and
Margo Woll
Rachel
Rudman
LEFT: Sam Woll at last
year’s Block Party.
BELOW: The rooftop
space at IADS.
continued on page 12