Anne Arundel

Home to Annapolis, Maryland’s Capital city, Anne Arundel County also has more than 500 miles of shoreline and is a prime location for water sports and lighthouse tours.  The County’s largest shopping destination, Arundel Mills features more than 200 retails and outlet stores and 24 screen movie-theater.  Other entertainment options in the area include Medieval Times, Historic London Town and various museums highlighting military and African-American history.  Residents and visitors will find opportunities for sightseeing among Colonial-era buildings and a large arts community.  

While the Jewish Community in Anne Adundel County is small, residents can find a handful of synagogues in addition to a Chabad presence.  Congregation Kneseth Israel, Temple Beth Shalom, and Congregation Kol Shalom offer education for all ages in addition to programs and activities.  In 2005, the United States Naval Academy also opened a Jewish Chapel in Annapolis named in honor of the first Jewish commodore in the United States Navy, the Commodore Uriah P. Levy Center and Jewish Chapel.   

Carroll

With its quiet suburbs and rolling farmland, Carroll County feels a world away from the bustle of Baltimore City.  Many families are attracted to the county’s safe neighborhoods and excellent public schools.  Carroll County’s three major towns—Eldersburg, Westminster and Mount Airy—are about a 45-minute commute to downtown Baltimore.   

Carroll County’s small, but vibrant Jewish community is made up primarily of young families and 55+ adults who are conservative, reform and interfaith.  The county is home to two lay-led congregations and an independent Hebrew school.  Most parts of Carroll County are also within 20 minutes of synagogues and Jewish schools in neighboring Baltimore County.

Harford

With its deep agricultural roots and rolling landscapes, Harford County is known as the “Gateway to the Chesapeake.”  Popular communities include Havre de Grace, Bel Air and Aberdeen.  Residents are primarily growing families and with Interstate-95 running through the entire county there is easy access to nearby Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia and two international airports.  Home to one of the last operating lighthouses on the East Coast, the waterfront properties and wildlife in Harford County offer many opportunities for residents and visitors to partake in outdoor activities.  Sports enthusiasts can enjoy visiting Ripken Stadium and watching a minor-league baseball game or visiting top named public golf course Bulle Rock made famous by the LPGA tour.     

In addition to a Chabad presence, residents can enjoy services, programs, and activities through the Harford Jewish Center.  There is also a meet-up group to give Harford County Jews another venue to get to know each other!  

Howard

Settled on Interstate-95 between Baltimore and Washington DC, Howard County is one of the most sought after regions to live in.  With its mix of well-planned rural and suburban neighborhoods, residents can take advantage of resources and commercial areas in both Ellicott City and Columbia, a national model for planned communities.  Columbia Town Center is home to a large shopping mall, movie-theater and man-made lake providing residents and visitors a plethora of entertainment and cultural opportunities in and outdoors.  Citizens of Howard County are known to be some of the most affluent in the United States.

Howard County has its own Jewish Federation and offers programs and services for residents at serveral synagogues in the area.  For more information on Jewish Howard County visit http://www.jewishhowardcounty.org/.