Marion Kozak Miliband, mother to politicians Ed and David Miliband and a Polish Holocaust survivor, has died aged 91 in london/">London, her family announced on Saturday. Her remarkable life story spanned childhood trauma during the Holocaust to a lifetime of activism and kindness in Britain.
Holocaust Survivors Journey
Born in Częstochowa, Poland, in 1934, Marion was the daughter of wealthy Jewish parents whose factory was converted into a munitions plant under Nazi occupation. Around 2,000 Jews from her town were killed, and tens of thousands were deported to extermination camps like Treblinka. In 1942, Marion escaped the Czestochowa Ghetto with her mother and sister. She survived the war thanks to “the kindness of strangers,” sheltered by nuns and a neighbour in Warsaw.
New Life In Britain
At age 12, Marion arrived in Britain in 1947 via a Jewish organisation. She married historian and left-wing academic Ralph Miliband, becoming a human rights campaigner and early activist with the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
Legacy Of Love And Activism
Ed and David Miliband released an emotional statement remembering their mother as a “force field of life and love” who embodied kindness, warmth and generosity. Ed has publicly linked Marion’s wartime survival and values to his own political beliefs, emphasising the power of community and standing against injustice.
“She lived a full and extraordinary life with a spirit of the utmost kindness, warmth and generosity,” the brothers said. “We will deeply miss her but will carry her spirit and values with us always.”
