'Freedom Song,' Musical About Being Jewish And Addicted, Plays Sunday in Deerfield

Submitted by Jewish Child & Family Services

Most of us wouldn’t think of a 12-Step meeting when somebody mentions Passover, or vice versa.

But that’s the premise of “Freedom Song,” a musical from Los Angeles about what it’s like to be Jewish and addicted. Upcoming local performances of “Freedom Song” will be on Sunday, May 31 at 4 p.m. at B’nai Jehoshua Beth Elohim synagogue, 1201 Lake Cook Road in Deerfield and on the next day at 7 p.m. at Temple Sholom, 3480 N. Lake Shore Drive in Chicago.

Two events co-exist on the “Freedom Song” stage: a Passover Seder and a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. At first singing, it seems that the family affair is a happy one and that the AA meeting is all troubles and tumult. By the end of the show, things have changed.

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Addiction can take many forms, from substance abuse to gambling or overeating, and one of the musical’s themes is debunking the common misconception that Jews are somehow immune to addiction. To drive the point home, the show uses a cast who are Jewish and in recovery. The Seder side of the script is fairly constant and more tightly scripted, but the AA meeting side’s script changes to incorporate personal recovery information from the actors. The audience is expected to participate, too; at the show’s curtain, facilitators including cast members engage the audience in a discussion.

“Freedom Song” came to be at Beit T’Shuvah, an LA recovery center that combines Jewish spirituality and the 12 steps. Its executive producers are Beit T’Shuvah’s Rabbi Mark Borovitz and its CEO Harriet Rossetto. With a book by Stuart K. Robinson and songs by James Fuchs and Rebekah Mirsky, the show is directed by Laura Bagish. The Jewish Center for Addiction at Jewish Child & Family Services is bringing the show to Chicago.

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“The Jewish Center for Addiction is bringing ‘Freedom Song’ to Chicago because it is such a powerful expression of how addiction impacts Jewish families,” said Dr. Beth Fishman, Manager of the JCA. “The stirring performance and the opportunity to talk with cast members allow Chicago’s Jewish community an unparalleled chance to see, hear and understand addiction as a Jewish issue for which there is help.”