LIFESTYLE & CULTURE
A night celebrating the ‘inextinguishable’ nature
of a symphony
MALA BLOMQUIST | MANAGING EDITOR
O n Jan. 22, MusicaNova Orchestra is
teaming up with the ASU Center for
Jewish Studies, with support by a grant
from the Center for Jewish Philanthropy
of Greater Phoenix, to present “Winter
Journey and the Inextinguishable
Symphony” at the Scottsdale Center
for the Performing Arts. The evening
features the little-known history of Jewish
musicians in 1930s Germany through a
unique presentation of music and film.

Carl Nielsen’s “Inextinguishable
Symphony” is preceded by a screening
of the 2019 film by Danish filmmaker
Anders Ostergaard, “Winter Journey.”
The film, based on Martin Goldsmith's
book, “The Inextinguishable Symphony:
A True Story of Music and Love in Nazi
Germany,” tells the story of his parents
who played in the Jüdische Kulturbund,
(Jewish Cultural Association), an
ensemble sanctioned by the Nazis that
served as a propaganda tool, employing
Jewish artists who had been fired from
their previous positions.

Goldsmith is director of classical music
programming at SiriusXM Satellite Radio
in Washington, D.C. and formerly the
host of “Performance Today,” National
SENIORS FATHER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13
trained to cure. However, with a serious
illness, aggressive treatment at the end
of life can be harder on the patient than
the disease itself. Dad had hit that tipping
point and said in no uncertain terms, “I
never want to go back to the hospital
again.” Noodles had a very clear understanding
of hospice. His exposure to hospice was
directly related to having a son in the senior
care space. Noodles was charismatic and so
lovable; there were many “take your dad
to work” opportunities, and thus special
moments to learn about topics such as
hospice in depth. When his primary care
physician initiated the conversation, it
did not elicit misperceptions of what
hospice is all about. Unfortunately, most
people associate hospice only with dying
— instead of living more fully during the
time that remains. Noodles was ready to
go from curative care to comfort care.

One of the biggest misperceptions
is that hospice care becomes the last
resort when “nothing else can be done.”
Hospice care doesn’t mean that treatment
stops. It means the types of treatment
and goals of care change to things like
14 JANUARY 6, 2023
Rudolf Schwarz was conductor of the Berlin Kulturbund Orchestra until 1941, when the Nazis imprisoned him.

COURTESY OF THE JÜDISCHE KULTURBUND PROJECT
Public Radio’s daily classical music
program. After the concert, he will be
on hand for a Q&A with the audience.

Nielsen, a Danish composer, wrote his
Symphony No. 4 in 1916, during the
First World War. At the beginning of the
score he wrote, “Music is life, and like it,
inextinguishable.” “His belief was that even if somehow
mankind were crazy enough to destroy
itself, life would return to the earth in
some form or other,” said Goldsmith.

“So ultimately the symphony is a very
optimistic and thrilling piece of music.”
Warren Cohen, MusicaNova’s artistic
director said he has been wanting to
do this piece for 40 years. In fact,
he was having a conversation about
reaching out to Goldsmith when he called
MusicaNova suggesting they perform the
“Inextinguishable Symphony.”
managing pain and other symptoms
while helping patients reach their goals
in the time that’s left. The most common
statement made by families who chose
hospice for their loved one is, “We wish
we had known about it or made the
decision to go on hospice sooner.”
Another misperception is that hospice
is a place. Hospice is not a place; it is
a concept and that concept is centered
around comfort. Over 98% of hospice is
delivered in the home. It’s where most
people want to be and it is a place where
people are comfortable. Receiving care
in the comfort of your own home makes
perfect sense.

In addition to misperceptions about
what hospice can do, the criteria for
receiving hospice care can create obstacles.

To be eligible for hospice, the rules of
Medicare and most health insurance
providers say that doctors must predict a
that a patient has six months or less to live.

Accurately predicting life expectancy can
be a challenge, even for the most skilled
physicians. Another obstacle in engaging hospice is
the patient must agree to give up curative
treatments. I often see that when the
patient is ready to move from curative
care to comfort care, their family may
influence them to not “give up.”
From left, Bob Roth, Sheldon Roth and Matthew Fehling, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau
who presented Bob with the BBB’s Torch Award for Business Ethics in 2018.

COURTESY OF BOB ROTH
About two-thirds of patients are willing
to undergo therapies they don’t want
if that is what their loved ones want,
according to Dr. Susan Block, chief of
psychosocial oncology and palliative
care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in
Boston, Massachusetts.

If families or physicians aren’t sure
whether hospice care is appropriate,
consider getting an assessment from a
hospice provider with whom you can
discuss your loved one’s condition, the
challenges of living with an illness and
the benefits of hospice.

JEWISH NEWS
Our family was 100% on Team Noodles.

That support was easy to give because
Dad was dictating exactly what he wanted
because he was informed.

I miss you, Dad. Thank you for making
the decision to choose comfort. We will
cherish the memories we made in the
final weeks and days we had together,
especially the late-night excursion to get
ice cream just a few days before we said
our final goodbyes. JN
Bob Roth is the managing partner of Cypress
HomeCare Solutions.

JEWISHAZ.COM