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Goodbye, Friend. A personal tribute to Sam Woll
by Rachel M. Roth
There are no words to describe the horrific hateful murder of my dearest friend, Samantha Woll. Sam Woll was one of the kindest, empathetic, most compassionate people that I ever met. Sam, as President of her synagogue, embodied the words of the sages in that she greeted every person with a warm and cheerful face. Sam was zealous in her pursuit of justice - 'justice, justice shall we pursue for all' she advocated. Sam, in a video clip, can be heard saying, "as a as society, we have a responsibility." And that one sentence sums up who she was. It was that sense of responsibility for others ("tikkun olam") that guided how Samantha lived her life. Sam woke up daily, with that sense of responsibility placed on her shoulders, and asked herself what she could do for others. Sam was there for every person who needed it; and gave her whole self to every worthwhile cause -- from feeding the homeless to interfaith relations (particularly with the Muslim community). She was a warrior for social and economic justice and progressive change in the world. The world is less bright because she is gone. Blessed be the judge. Rest in peace, Sam. May your memory, and everything you stood for, be a blessing for us all.
- J.R. Rothstein
If you were ever to imagine a human being who was the embodiment of a leader, who was the quintessential advocate of all just causes, who was the person never afraid to stand up as the minority for what she believed in, who was the most seamless of bridgebuilders between any number of communities, who was the real-life Energizer Bunny and dynamic catalyst for change, and who also happened to be one of the most fun and fascinating friends in your orbit...if you grew up in the suburbs of Detroit; lived in Ann Arbor nearly twenty years ago; and/or were involved with virtually any political, social justice, and/or Jewish causes, you would never have had to look further than Sam Woll, ז״ל, as your answer. Sam was One of One of One. I’ve never met anyone like her and never will again. She somehow could always be the purest and most first-rate version of herself – even in a group of people who could strongly disagree with her – while also being the most loveable individual in any setting. She was always the leader in a place where there may not have been many or any leaders, and she always gave every bit of her energy to do what was right no matter how inconvenient it was and/or what was at stake. In her few years at the University of Michigan, she effected more change than arguably all of her peers, and she did it with grace and this almost effortless vibe – like it was second nature. But simultaneously, while she was so busy doing so much for so many others all of the time, she was still so present. She was still like any of our other friends. She was still relatable, chill, and joyous to be around. And she was beloved. For her to be heavily involved in Michigan Hillel and a driving force in other campus activities was one of the great blessings any fellow student or campus professional could ask for.
For anyone reading this who genuinely wants peace for all deserving people in any region/all of the world and who didn’t know Sam, she was the type of person you’d want to clone. You wouldn’t need ChatGPT, AI, or sophisticated technology to navigate pressing local or global issues because Sam was beyond willing and able to make it happen from scratch with her ingenuity, charisma, and persistence. As shocked, saddened, horrified, and disbelieving as many of us are, I hope Sam’s legacy will live on through the sacred work she’s done over the years and the countless people from all walks of life whom she impacted. Her name was already an immense and enormous blessing before today and will forever be. May her example and legacy live on through everyone privileged to know her, and may we do as much as possible to repair our world in her ways because we really need it. ברוך דיין האמת
- Bobby Nooromid
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