Michigan senator marks anniversary of Jewish community leader, former staff member’s murder

(Oct. 22, 2026 / JNS)

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) on Wednesday marked the third anniversary of the murder of Samantha Woll, a Jewish community leader and former member of her staff who was killed in Detroit in October 2023.

“Today marks the third anniversary of the senseless murder of Samantha Woll, a former member of my staff, a proud Jewish woman and a remarkable community leader whose impact continues to be felt across Metro Detroit and beyond,” Slotkin wrote.

Woll, 40, was president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue and worked to strengthen relationships between Jewish and other faith communities. She was found fatally stabbed outside her home on Oct. 21, 2023.

Slotkin remembered Woll for her commitment to bringing people of different faiths, backgrounds and perspectives together.

Quoting Woll, the senator wrote, “We do not know where we are going, but we are headed there together.”

“We have a responsibility to live up to those words and continue the work she cared so deeply about,” Slotkin added. She concluded her message with the Jewish expression, “May her memory be a blessing.”