by Jordan Thornblad, ABC4.com
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Members of Utah’s Jewish community are joining The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in mourning the loss of President Jeffery R. Holland.
President Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints passed away at 85-years-old, shortly after 3:15 a.m. MST on Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, according to church officials. He died from complications associated with kidney disease, while surrounded by his family, officials added.
Rabbi Samuel Spector told ABC4 in the wake of Holland’s death that Holland was the first member of the church to welcome him when he came to Utah in 2018 to take on the role as Rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami.
“I knew very little about the church, or even what an apostle was,” Spector said. “He was so kind and welcoming to me and taught me a lot about his faith.”
According to Spector, the church has been both a great partner and helping hand for the Jewish community. He admired Holland’s incredible passion for maintaining a relationship between the two faiths.
“He would always reach out to ask how we were doing and how antisemitism was, and if there was anything that the church could be doing to help us be safer in this town,” Spector said.
The things that Spector said he will miss most about President Holland are his sense of humor and his profound care for the welfare of the Jewish community in Utah, especially children.
“If there is ever a Latter-day Saint who bullies a kid from your community, let me know their name so I can show up at their school and have them paged over the PA system ‘Elder Holland is here to see you,” Spector recalled Holland saying. “That kid will never do that again.”
Spector added that he will miss this friendship as well as the support offered to the Jewish community by Holland’s efforts to emphasize that antisemitism goes against the teachings of the church.
“Our community sends our condolences to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Not only is this a profound loss for them, but for the whole state of Utah,” Spector said. “This is a loss for the Jewish Community as well because we lost somebody who was a very good friend and a staunch advocate for interfaith relations between our communities. We are going to miss him a lot.”
