[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 175 (Tuesday, October 24, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1006-E1007]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF SAMANTHA WOLL

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELISSA SLOTKIN

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2023

  Ms. SLOTKIN. Mr, Speaker Pro Tempore, it is with profound grief that 
I pay tribute to the life of a passionate advocate, a dedicated former 
Congressional staff member, an organizer, and a true believer in 
interfaith dialogue, Samantha Woll. Sam had a brilliant mind, a 
generous spirit, and was a true light in the community. While we do not 
yet know the circumstances of her death, we do know how she lived, so 
today I ask that we remember the profound impact she had on her 
community, our state, and the Nation in her short time on this earth.

[[Page E1007]]

  Sam worked for me from nearly the moment I became a Congresswoman--
helping us set up the Lansing office in 2019 and helping to lead it for 
my full first term as Team Slotkin's Deputy District Director. Like 
everyone who met her, I was immediately struck by her kindness, her 
sharp mind, and her ever-present smile. Though she was young, Sam came 
to our team already well-established, having worked for multiple 
members of the state legislature, as well as many different causes 
close to her heart. She would go on to work for Michigan Attorney 
General Dana Nessel and State Senator Stephanie Chang, among others.
  I was also struck by her profound faith; not just her personal faith 
in Judaism, but her profound faith in humanity. Sam dedicated her time 
on my staff, and truly her entire life, to building understanding and 
bridges between people, and bringing light in the face of darkness. She 
helped establish our first interfaith roundtable and continued that 
work when she left our office, serving as president of the Isaac Agree 
Synagogue in Detroit where she was known for her outreach and dialogue 
with her Muslim and Christian neighbors. As the Detroit Jewish News 
noted in naming her one of the ``36 Under 36'' influential young people 
in the Jewish community, ``By extending her hand and creating space for 
connection between Muslims and Jews, she has exemplified the values of 
healing the world.'' She also played a vital role in the revitalization 
of Detroit, including the renovation and reopening of her historic 
synagogue just a few months ago. It is deeply painful that we have lost 
someone so dedicated to healing, and connecting so many people, no 
matter their background, to such a destructive act.
  Sam's senseless death has left a hole not just in our hearts but in 
the fabric of our community. She was a beacon of light and I ask that 
as we grieve her loss, we recommit ourselves to the principles by which 
she lived. Sam firmly believed in the power of government to do good: 
to lift people out of poverty, to give a voice to the voiceless, and to 
bring justice and equality to all. She was deeply committed to the idea 
that what united us as Americans and Michiganders was much more 
important than the ways some try to divide us. I send my deepest 
condolences to all who knew and loved her. May her memory be a blessing 
forever in our hearts.

                          ____________________