Since the rise of the digital marketplace of ideas, traditional ideas about civic engagement have fallen by the wayside. Jewish and Hindu groups in Portland are working together to change that.

Avenues to Civic Engagement, a program sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Greater Portland and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Oregon, the local chapter of the national Hindu community nonprofit, is set for Thursday, Sept. 24 at 7 pm. The program is a product of ongoing Hindu-Jewish Dialogue and supported by a grant from More Perfect Union, a pro-democracy Jewish organization. Federation Chief Planning Officer Rachel Nelson was struck by the need for such programs during her studies at the Spertus Institute earlier this year.

“One of my biggest takeaways from [Spertus] was our need to safeguard and be involved, actively involved, in pro-democracy work,” Nelson said. “So many of our community members have lost that way of engaging with the public square, and we wanted to bring that back.”

“The Jewish community has been very engaged civically, but here in the Portland area, and I think in Oregon in general, because of our small population, we tend to get outnumbered by those who are on opposite sides of certain issues,” Federation Chief Community Relations and Public Affairs Officer Bob Horenstein said, “The deck is often stacked against us and we really need to start increasing our presence in some of these areas where we can make a difference.”

In much the same way, this kind of engagement has become and increasing priority for Hindu-Americans. Palak Raval, an HSS volunteer who is working to organize the program, mentioned recent incidents of graffiti on Hindu temples as a galvanizing moment.

“We are a community that, along with all others, make American society, and we face biases, too,” she said. “We want to let our elected leaders know that we are here and our voices also need to be heard about the things that are happening around us.”

Both Jewish and Hindu traditions teach about the importance of this kind of engagement. Jews refer to tikkun olam (repairing the world) while Hindus embrace the concept of Sevā, a Sanskrit word that translates to “selfless service.” Raval discussed HSS’s food drives around the Hindu festival of Diwali and free yoga classes as examples, but engaging in civic work on behalf of the broader community is also a big part of what Raval explained is Parama Dharma – “supreme duty.”

“It is very important for us to bring that good work that our community has been doing and bring it out to the society and engage in the society that way,” she said.

While Jewish and Hindu values speak to the importance of engaging with the public square, the absence of that engagement is not unique to either group.

“I think writ large, our society has seen much more virtual activism and lack of engaging in large public space,” Nelson said. “I don’t think it’s unique to the Jewish community, but I think because we are coming through the lens of our Jewish community and our interfaith work, we can speak to and help energize the Jewish community and the Hindu community.”

Topping the event’s speakers list include State Treasurer Elizabeth Steiner, Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty, Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church Pastor and longtime civic leader Rev. Dr. J.W. Matt Hennessee and Nathan Soltz, Chair of the Democratic Party of Oregon. While most of those people exist in the realm of electoral politics, there are more ways to engage than running for office.

“We want to make sure people understand this is not about just running for public office. That’s the highest level. There are so many other ways to become involved, whether that’s a school committee, whether that’s a municipal budget committee, or obviously becoming a precinct committee person,” Horenstein said. “There’s all these different avenues.”

It doesn’t have to be a full-time job – every little bit counts.

“We really feel especially given the fractured society we’ve felt, many of us have felt in the last several years in so many different ways. The best way to combat that is to be involved and to lean into civic spaces,” Nelson said. “And the Hindu community is really wanting to take up that mantle and be part of the process in partnership with us.”

Location will be provided upon RSVP. To learn more and register, visit jewishportland.org/civicengagement.

PHOTO: Members of Portland's Hindu and Jewish communities participate in the first Purim/Holi celebration Sunday, Mar. 17, 2024 at Congregation Neveh Shalom. The two communities are joining to host Avenues to Civic Engagement next week. (Rockne Roll/Jewish Review file)