Detroit synagogue leader Samantha Woll fatally stabbed

The president of a Detroit synagogue was found stabbed to death outside her home on Saturday — a stunning slaying that came as tensions over Israel’s war on Hamas roil the U.S.

Samantha Woll had led the Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue since 2022 and also served as an aide to Democratic Rep. Elissa Slotkin and a campaign staffer for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Woll, 40, was discovered early Saturday morning after police responded to a 911 call about an unresponsive person lying on the ground outside her home.

The killing happened amid an alarming spike in antisemitic incidents since violence exploded in Israel and Gaza earlier this month, though authorities did not immediately provide a possible motive.

Cops found a trail of blood leading to her house, where they say the crime likely occurred.

Nessel posted a picture of her and Woll on X on Saturday, saying she was “shocked, saddened and horrified” by the killing.

“Sam was as kind a person as I’ve ever known,” Nessel wrote. “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.”

Woll’s synagogue stated, “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the unexpected death of Samantha Woll, our Board President.”

“May her memory be a blessing,” the house of worship added.

The FBI will assit Detroit police in the ongoing investigation, said Gabrielle Szlenkier, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Detroit field office.

As of Saturday afternoon, police were still in the Lafayette Park neighborhood where Woll was killed and had surrounded the larger area with caution tape, allowing a Michigan State Police K-9 to sniff around the bushes.

With News Wire Services