Samantha "Sam" Woll (June 15, 1983[1] – October 21, 2023) was a Jewish community leader, founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit, the president of
Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in
Detroit, Michigan. On October 21, 2023, she was found stabbed to death outside her home.[2] Her killing, amid increased tensions during the
2023 Israel–Hamas war, drew international attention, but police ruled out
antisemitic motivations for her slaying.
Woll was the founder of the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit.
In 2015, in the wake of the
November 2015 Paris attacks, she helped bring high school students of Muslim and Jewish faith together through an essay and art contest in a public event at
Wayne State University organized through Greater Detroit
Muslim Jewish Solidarity Council.[6] U.S. Rep.
Rashida Tlaib called Woll a friend and an organizing community member.[2]
From c.2017, Woll served as Detroit's
Jewish Community Relations Council/
AJC board of directors member[7][8] and was co-chair of the AJC's ACCESS Detroit Young Leadership Program.
From 2019 to 2021, she worked as deputy district director on the political campaign of Congresswoman
Elissa Slotkin. She also worked on the re-election campaign of Attorney General
Dana Nessel.[2]
On October 21, 2023, Woll was found stabbed to death outside her home in Detroit's
Lafayette Park neighborhood. She was 40.[2] Her killing, during the
2023 Israel–Hamas war, drew international attention, but police ruled out anti-Jewish motivations for her slaying.[11][12]
On December 10, a different "person of interest" was arrested for Woll's murder.[16][17] The suspect, Michael Jackson-Bolanos, 28, of Detroit, was officially charged with murder, home invasion and lying to investigators on December 13. Woll's blood was found on his jacket.[18] He entered a plea of not guilty.[19]