Local nonprofits work every day to meet our community’s needs and make the Savannah area a better place to live. This page is devoted to promoting those efforts. Organizations are invited to send information concerning local volunteer needs, fundraising campaigns, events and more. Email info to eric.curl@savannahagenda.com.
Submitted by Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition
March 19, 2025 – Congregation Mickve Israel, 20 East Gordon St. in Savannah, will host a rare and compelling musical that has traveled the U.S. focused on the prevalence of addiction and the gift of recovery. The event is free.
Called Freedom Song, the musical will be performed Sunday, March 30, at 4 p.m. Adults and teens are welcome, and childcare will be provided for younger children.
America’s Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reports that 48.7 million people age 12 or older (17.3 percent of our population) had a substance use disorder (SUD) in 2022. The National Center for Drug Abuse Statistics also reports that 50 percent of Americans 12 and older have used illicit drugs at least once and drug overdose deaths since 2000 are nearing one million people.
“Addiction unfortunately remains an issue within the bounds of every faith group, actually within every group of any kind,” said Rabbi Robert Haas. “We must stop the cycle of pushing the discussion into the closet or sweeping it under the rug if we want to help individuals and families in every faith group and every group of any kind.”
Freedom Song poses one stark question: “What are you a slave to?” The cast of Freedom Song is not a cast of actors; they are people in recovery from addiction themselves who have faced their use of drugs, alcohol, gambling, food and other destructive behaviors. The performance is designed to give cast members an opportunity to answer questions from the audience and share their own stories of recovery.
The reviews of Freedom Song are powerful:
- “There were few dry eyes and fewer hearts that were not touched by the honest emotions expressed by the cast.” Nona Solowitz, former Executive Director, Temple Sinai of the Desert
- “Freedom Song is the most powerful and emotiontal performance that every parent and teenager should see together.” Dr. Chuck Slonim, Board Member, Congregation Schaarai Zedek
- “I was always too afraid to discuss what went on behind closed doors in my family. I was ashamed. This play made me feel a lot less alone, like I wasn’t the only one whose family had problems.” Anonymous Audience Member, Beverly Hills
Freedom Song is co-sponsored in Savannah by BeitShuvah.org addiction treatment center, California; Congregation Mickve Israel and the Interfaith Addiction and Recovery Coalition, based in Savannah.