Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore
Jewish, Non-denominational

The Owings Mills campus of the Jewish Community Center has within its borders a modest wood and meandering stream. The surrounding community is enjoying a period of rapid development, but as a result, similar woods in the area are just as rapidly disappearing. To provide accessible, comfortable and convenient nature experiences, and to embed those experiences in a Jewish context, the Department of Jewish Life sought to make these Jewishly-held woods an inviting site for casual visits and informal nature programming.

The JCC collaborated with the local (Jewish) Boy Scout troop in developing three goals for the site: 1) the improvement and extension of a pre-existing walking path, 2) the creation of a 50-seat amphitheater, and 3) the creation of path markers that identify natural items of interest (trail maps, tree identification, history of the area, etc). They now have over half a mile of walking trails, as well as a lovely, rustic amphitheater, and the path markers were completed in August 2004.

Not only does JCC staff regularly include the woods in their curricula and programming, but other local Jewish agencies also have found the woods to be an ideal venue for spirituality and wellness programming. The JCC’s Health and Fitness department uses the trails for walking groups in an effort to blend spiritual and physical health.

The success of these early efforts has led to the creation of several committees that are now exploring how to expand the nature and environmental experiences into other JCC programs.

Contact: Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Organization’s Website: www.jcc.org