Listen to “DEATH METAL GRANDMA – An unconventional call for social justice…” on Spreaker.
Note: There is some Spanish speaking to start video, but quickly turns to English
United Voices 4 Peace,
Veronica Sabbag, Founder & Chair submitted this story. They launched their first virtual event and digital program in December 2020, during the Covid Pandemic.
The program consisted of a series of documentary screenings, concerts and interviews aimed to address the current systemic social inequalities, with a special focus on gender, age and religion-based discrimination.
It also adressed the topic of the Holocaust and the fight against antisemitism, echoing the voice of a funny, endearing and engaging protagonist, Inge Ginsberg.
Inge, Holocaust survivor, whose life story is detailed in a short documentary film created by Leah Galant for nytimes, https://youtu.be/mQZ_7C2oaLM , found an unlikely avenue to raise her voice through heavy metal music in her 90’s – against all odds – in a way that allowed engagement of younger generations.
She was able to flee Austria and survive life in a refugee camp in Switzerland. After the war, she moved to Hollywood, California and built a new life as a composer for Nat King Cole, Doris Day and others.
In an assertion of her presence on earth, she started a heavy metal band at the age of 93. Inge & the TritoneKings, had major TV appearances, made the front page in newspapers across the globe. She caught the eye and ear of the metal world after her appearance on Switzerland’s Got Talent and in the Eurovision Song Contest.
The first documentary screening and live concert of this series was streamed from Barcelona on December 17th, in partnership with Manhattan Camerata, Amics UNESCO Bcn, Mozaika BCN & LICRA. This first event featured the “Death Metal Grandma” documentary, followed by a live concert performed by her versatil band. Coinciding with Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, it brought an impactful message of peace, hope, union and inclusiveness, creating a fertile ground for social change. Watch here: https://www.facebook.com/UV4Peace/videos/298226618274630/
Once more, the metal world was captivated by her journey. Read https://www.themetalcircus.com/reportajes/death-metal-grandma-inge-ginsberg/
The event was preceded by a pre-screening session at Amics de la Unesco also in Barcelona : https://youtu.be/pMON-7fkvK8
This never before disclosed video, showcasing the 99 years old DMG was recorded in May 2021, on the occasion of UV4PEACE Founder & Chair, Veronica Sabbag’s visit to a care home in Zurich.
It served as the basis of a later Zoom virtual session on June 5th, in the context of “the Voice of the Silence” – Samantha Rodriguez and “Diario Judio de Mexico” – Isaac Ajzen, missions to raise awareness on the Holocaust. https://www.facebook.com/thevoiceofthesilenceproject/videos/870387663576049/
Veronica promised Inge she will visit her as soon as the Covid pandemic restrictions would be lifted. This visit and interview was an attempt to immortilize her legacy. At the end her visit Inge promised to visit Veronica in Barcelona. She passed a month later.
A new documentary screening took place in New York, on January 27th at the Anita Shapolsky Gallery in Soho. Inge, would have been 100 years on that date, coinciding with the Holocaust Remembrance Day.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CZRJUXelU4a/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
https://www.instagram.com/p/CZiliaVODQA/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
To honor her memory and continue her legacy, UV4PEACE dropped on that occasion a 5-piece “Death Metal Grandma NFT Collection” in OpenSea : https://opensea.io/collection/deathmetalgrandma, in partnership with Tritoneking & ManhattanCamerata.
“The Nazis said that their Third Reich would last 1000 years. It didn’t. But Inge lived to 99. Now she will live forever in the blockchain. There is no tribute more fitting for such an inspiring and modern woman. It’s poetic justice”.
HELP US to further develop our program in other locations by donating thought our website : www.uv4peace.org.
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