No evidence stabbing death of Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll was antisemitic, police say

Detroit police have yet to find any evidence the killing of synagogue leader Samantha Woll was motivated by antisemitism, officers said Sunday.

Woll, 40, was stabbed to death Saturday at her home in Michigan’s most populous city. She was president of the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue since 2022 and an active supporter of Democratic politicians in the state and city.

Detroit police chief James White said investigators had spoken with “individuals with information that may further this investigation.” White said the FBI and Michigan State Police were assisting with the investigation and examining forensic evidence.

Woll was found fatally stabbed near her home on Saturday afternoon. A passerby called police to report a person lying unresponsive on the ground, and officers followed a blood trail to Woll’s home. They believe she was killed in the residence, officer Dan Donakowski said.

“No evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism,” White said Sunday in a statement.

Woll was honored Sunday in a funeral at Hebrew Memorial Chapel. Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and state senator Stephanie Chang were among those in attendance. Woll had previously campaigned for Nessel.

“She was at every campaign event, every political protest, every religious service, every ribbon cutting. I think I saw her in a picture of the moon landing,” the attorney general joked. “I don’t know how she could be so many places at the same time.”

Woll’s relatives and friends remembered her as someone devoted to many causes and who reached across barriers of race and religion to make the world a better place.

“You so deeply wanted peace for this world. You fought for everyone regardless of who they were or where they came from,” said Monica Woll Rosen, directly addressing her late sister before mourners. “You were the definition of a leader. Our world is shattered without you.”

With News Wire Services