The president of a synagogue in Detroit was stabbed to death Saturday morning in the doorway of her home. Samantha Woll, 40, who has headed the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue in Detroit since 2022, has worked with several female politicians from the Democratic Party, including Rep. Elissa Slotkin.
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Woll's body was found near a trail of blood that led to her home, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. The police opened an investigation, but no one has been arrested so far, and the motive has not yet been determined. The UK's Daily Mail also reported that it is not yet clear if the murder has anything to do with the Gaza War.
Woll played a central role in the establishment of the Muslim-Jewish Forum of Detroit and, according to the Detroit Jewish News, she worked "to build and deepen important relationships between local Jewish and Muslim communities, where she hosted revolutionary events, including an Interfaith Iftar dinner welcoming Syrian refugees."
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who worked alongside Woll, said in a post on the X platform: "I am shocked, saddened and horrified to learn of Sam’s brutal murder. Sam was as kind a person as I’ve ever known. She was driven by her sincere love of her community, state and country. Sam truly used her faith and activism to create a better place for everyone."
On Monday, Joseph Czuba, 71, of Illinois, stabbed to death a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy in a Chicago suburb and seriously injured his 32-year-old mother. Czuba, who was the owner of the family's apartment, is accused of attacking them because of their Muslim identity and because of the "ongoing conflict in the Middle East, in which Hamas and Israel are involved."
Czuba, according to police, stabbed the boy 26 times. The mother, who survived the attack, was taken to the hospital. When officers arrived, they found Czuba sitting on the sidewalk outside the home with a cut on his forehead, while the victims were in the bedroom. According to the prosecutor, although Czuba did not cooperate with the investigation, there is enough evidence to prosecute him for a hate crime.