Marion Kozak

Marion Kozak Miliband (; 22 December 1934 – 27 May 2026) was a British activist. She immigrated to the United Kingdom in the 1950s and earned a PhD in 1976. In 1961, she married Ralph Miliband (1924–1994). Their two sons, David Miliband and Ed Miliband, have risen to prominence in modern-day British politics.

Early life and education Marion Kozak was born in the Polish town of Częstochowa on 22 December 1934, the daughter of wealthy Jewish parents, Bronislawa and Dawid Kozak, In 1939, when the Germans took control, about 40,000, a quarter of Częstochowa's population, were Jewish. The Kozaks' factory was commandeered and transformed into a munitions plant. In the town, an estimated 2,000 Jews were murdered by Germans on the spot and another 40,000 were transported to the gas chambers at the Treblinka extermination camp. At some point, Polish nuns in a convent took the Kozaks in and hid them from the Germans. Kozak, also known as Maria, refused to reveal where or when this took place. She also credited the "kindness and generosity of acquaintances in Warsaw" with her survival. In a biography of her husband Ralph Miliband, written by a family friend, Michael Newman, he states that: "For the rest of the war Marion, Hadassa and their mother had been in constant danger and owed their lives to several brave people, Jewish and non-Jewish, many of whom were themselves killed".

According to The Guardian, Marion Kozak had once been a student (at the London School of Economics) of the Marxist scholar Ralph Miliband.

Marriage to Ralph Miliband Kozak and Ralph Miliband married in 1961. Her background and politics were similar to his, and she had a comparable, though less high-profile, career as an activist and academic. Yet she was more outgoing and had broader interests. In 1965, their son David Miliband was born. Kozak hosted relatives, left-wing writers, dissidents such as Joe Slovo of the South African Communist Party, academics from abroad, and occasionally politicians. Sons David and Ed Miliband (born 1969) were encouraged to join in. Described as being "a long-standing supporter of left-wing pro-Palestinian organisations", Kozak was a signatory of the founding statements of both Jews for Justice for Palestinians (founded 2002) and a supporter of Independent Jewish Voices (launched 2007).

Influence and stance towards her sons A BBC report described Kozak as a "campaigning mother" who, unlike her husband Ralph, remained loyal to the British Labour Party. However, it is thought that she was a greater influence on the political development of her sons.

Death Kozak died in London on 27 May 2026, at the age of 91.

Publications Taking Action: Greenpeace. Heinemann Library, 1997.