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No indication of hate crime in murder of Detroit synagogue president, police say
(JTA) — Police in Detroit said Sunday that they had found no indication of a hate crime in their investigation of the murder of Samantha Woll, a prominent and beloved local Jewish leader found stabbed to death outside her home early Saturday.
The police did not offer any additional details about their investigation, which has so far not resulted in an arrest. The police issued the statement just hours after Woll’s family and friends mourned her at a funeral held at her childhood synagogue in the city’s suburbs.
“No evidence has surfaced suggesting that this crime was motivated by antisemitism,” Detroit Police Chief James White said in the statement.
Woll’s murder comes at a time of high alert for U.S. Jews, following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel and widespread protests against Israel’s ensuing war in Gaza. A public call by a former Hamas leader for global protests against Jews caused some Jewish institutions to close or fortify themselves, including in the Detroit area, which is home to one of the largest Palestinian communities in the United States.
Some public figures immediately linked Woll’s murder to the conflict. But local Jewish groups urged caution about jumping to conclusions regarding a possible motive for the murder.
The Detroit Jewish federation said on Sunday that it was in touch with multiple law enforcement agencies and municipal offices, and assured local Jews that there were “no specific or credible threats to our community at this time.”
At the funeral, friends and family emphasized that Woll, the board president of Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue, was kind, caring and inclusive.
“We are so fortunate to have had Sam in our lives,” said Stephanie Chang, a Michigan state senator and longtime friend who was will Woll, who was 40, at a wedding the night before her death. “I hope that each of us will remember Sam for the beautiful human being that she was and as someone who loves bridging divides, and as someone who was a promoter of justice, equity and being welcoming to all people.”
Her brother-in-law, Ben Rosen, recalled Woll’s contribution to a “somewhat heated family email discussion” about politics several weeks ago, before war broke out in Israel.
“You ended your beautiful email with the following line: ‘If and where there are disconnects between some of the people who follow Black Lives Matter and the Jewish community, then our communities need to engage with each other more, not less,’” Rosen said. “This is your legacy that we will always remember and carry forward.”
Addressing her sister directly, Monica Woll Rosen revealed that flowers Woll had ordered had been delivered to a friend after her death.
“You so deeply wanted peace for this world. You fought for everyone, regardless of who they were or where they came from. You were the definition of a leader,” Woll Rosen said. “Our world is shattered without you.”
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The post No indication of hate crime in murder of Detroit synagogue president, police say appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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US Envoy Meets Netanyahu on Lebanon and Syria, Israeli Officials Say
US Ambassador to Turkey and US special envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack speaks after meeting with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, in Beirut, Lebanon July 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Top US envoy Thomas Barrack arrived in Israel on Sunday and met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss Syria and Lebanon, three Israeli officials said.
The meeting was first reported by Axios, citing three Israeli and US sources, and followed discussions between Barrack and Israel’s Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and Defense Minister Israel Katz.
Dermer held talks with Syria’s foreign minister Asaad al-Shibani in Paris on Tuesday on security arrangements in southern Syria, two Syrian sources familiar with the meeting said.
Syrian and Israeli officials have been conducting US-mediated talks on de-escalating conflict in southern Syria. A previous round of talks was held in Paris in late July but ended without a final accord.
On Monday, Barrack said in Lebanon that Israel should comply with a plan under which Lebanese militant group Hezbollah would be disarmed by the end of the year in exchange for a halt to Israel’s military operations in Lebanon.
The plan sets out a phased roadmap for terrorist groups to hand in their arsenals as Israel’s military halts ground, air and sea operations and withdraws troops from Lebanon’s south.
Lebanon’s cabinet approved the plan’s objectives earlier this month despite Hezbollah’s refusal to disarm, and Barrack said it was now Israel’s turn to cooperate.
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office.
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Israel Strikes Yemeni Capital Sanaa
Smoke billows from the site of Israeli air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen, August 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer
Israeli strikes hit the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday in retaliation for Houthi missiles fired towards Israel, with Houthi media saying the attack killed at least two people and injured five.
The strikes are the latest in over a year of direct attacks and counterstrikes between Israel and Houthi militants in Yemen, part of a spillover from the war in Gaza.
The Israeli military said the targets included a military compound housing the presidential palace, two power plants and a fuel storage site. The Houthi-controlled Saba news agency said the strikes killed at least two people and injured five.
“The strikes were conducted in response to repeated attacks by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians, including the launching of surface-to-surface missiles and UAVs toward Israeli territory in recent days,” the military said in statement.
On Friday, the Houthis said they had fired a ballistic missile towards Israel in their latest attack, which they said was in support of Palestinians in Gaza. An Israeli Air Force official said on Sunday the missile most likely carried several sub-munitions “intended to be detonated upon impact.”
“This is the first time that this kind of missile has been launched from Yemen,” the official said.
Since Israel’s war in Gaza against the Palestinian militant group Hamas began in October 2023, the Iran-aligned Houthis have attacked vessels in the Red Sea in what they describe as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.
They have also frequently fired missiles towards Israel, most of which have been intercepted. Israel has responded with strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, including the vital Hodeidah port.
Abdul Qader al-Murtada, a senior Houthi official, said on Sunday the Houthis, who control much of Yemen’s population, would continue to act in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
“(Israel) must know that we will not abandon our brothers in Gaza, whatever the sacrifices,” he said on X.
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Iran’s Khamenei Calls US Issue ‘Unsolvable’ Amid Nuclear Standoff
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with government officials in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Iran’s supreme leader said the current situation with the United States was “unsolvable,” and that Tehran would never bow to pressure to obey Washington, amid a standoff with Western powers over its nuclear program, state media reported on Sunday.
The Islamic Republic suspended nuclear negotiations with the United States after the US and Israel bombed its nuclear sites during a 12-day war in June.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s comments come after Iran and European powers agreed on Friday to resume talks to try to restart full negotiations on curbing Tehran’s nuclear enrichment work.
“They want Iran to be obedient to America. The Iranian nation will stand with all of its power against those who have such erroneous expectations,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was reported as saying.
“People who ask us not to issue slogans against the US … to have direct negotiations with the US only see appearances … This issue is unsolvable,” he added.
France, Britain and Germany have said they could reactivate United Nations sanctions on Iran under a “snap-back” mechanism if Tehran does not return to the table.
The European states, along with the US, say Iran is working towards developing nuclear weapons. Iran says it is only interested in developing nuclear power.