Leah Feldman (

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

: לאה פֿעלדמאן; September 1898 – 3 January 1993), also known as Leah Downes, was an

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

-born

anarchist Anarchism is a political philosophy and Political movement, movement that seeks to abolish all institutions that perpetuate authority, coercion, or Social hierarchy, hierarchy, primarily targeting the state (polity), state and capitalism. A ...

garment worker Clothing industry or garment industry summarizes the types of trade and industry along the production and value chain of clothing and garments, starting with the textile industry (producers of cotton, wool, fur, and synthetic fibre), embellishme ...

who for most of her adult life was based in London, England. Feldman was active in the anarchist movement for almost 80 years, and towards the end of her life she acted as a last living link in the British anarchist movement to the

Russian revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

, the

Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine The Revolutionary Insurgent Army of Ukraine (; RIAU), also known as ''Makhnovtsi'' (), named after their founder Nestor Makhno, was an Anarchism, anarchist army formed largely of Ukrainians, Ukrainian peasants and workers during the Russian C ...

, and the pre-WWI Jewish anarchist movement in the East End of London.

Biography

Feldman was born to a

-speaking

Jewish family Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

in September 1898. The family moved to

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

, Poland, while Feldman was still young and she joined a

socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

club when she was 12. In 1913 Feldman moved to England with some relatives, against her mother's wishes, where she began work as a

furrier Fur clothing is clothing made from the preserved skins of mammals. Fur is one of the oldest forms of clothing and is thought to have been widely used by people for at least 120,000 years. The term 'fur' is often used to refer to a specific item ...

and first encountered the anarchist movement. Feldman read Peter Kropotkin's pamphlet ''

An Appeal to the Young An Appeal to the Young (French: ''Aux jeunes gens'') is a revolutionary, anarchist pamphlet published in 1880 and written by the Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin. It is one of the most successful and moving tracts by Kropotkin in favor of a Sociali ...

'' and began attending a sunday school at the Jubilee Street Anarchist Club. She took part in the Yiddish language

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

ism that was active in East London. The first world war prevented Feldman from rejoining her family in Warsaw. In May 1917, like many Russian and Eastern European

Jewish anarchists This is a list of Jewish anarchists. Individuals See also * Jewish anarchism Notes References * * * * * * * Further reading * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jewish anarchists Jewish * Anarchists Anarchism is a political philoso ...

in Britain, Leah moved to Russia to take part in the

. She met Kropotkin in Russia, and in May 1921 attended his funeral in Moscow. While some Western anarchists of the time shifted to supporting

Bolshevism Bolshevism (derived from Bolshevik) is a revolutionary socialist current of Soviet Leninist and later Marxist–Leninist political thought and political regime associated with the formation of a rigidly centralized, cohesive and disciplined p ...

, Feldman was fiercely critical of the new Bolshevik government and remained so for the rest of her life. Feldman travelled to Ukraine to take part in the Makhnovist movement, working as a

seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Notable d ...

during the

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. In 1927 she travelled to Berlin, then lived in Paris for a year before returning to London in 1928. She had at first been denied entry to the UK, finding herself stateless, so in 1931 she married a British ex-serviceman to gain

British citizenship The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself (England, Wales, Scotland, and Nor ...

. She continued to work as a

but found the anarchist movement in London depressing and in retreat. She lived in

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

for four years in the 1930s, returning to London in 1936 where she was active in supporting the anarchist movement in the Spanish revolution. She helped push for the decision for the

Freedom Press Freedom Press is an anarchist publishing house and Radical bookshops in the United Kingdom, bookseller in Whitechapel, London, United Kingdom, founded in 1886. Alongside its many books and pamphlets, the group also runs a news and comment-based ...

group to use the group's remaining assets to support the new newspaper '' Spain and the World''. Feldman was, alongside Lilian Wolfe, a regular

street seller A hawker is a vendor of merchandise that can be easily transported; the term is roughly synonymous with costermonger or peddler. In most places where the term is used, a hawker sells inexpensive goods, handicrafts, or food items. Whether stationa ...

of the anarchist newspaper ''

Freedom Freedom is the power or right to speak, act, and change as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving oneself one's own laws". In one definition, something is "free" i ...

'' for many decades. She was active in campaigns relating to the Angry Brigade, the execution of

Sacco and Vanzetti Nicola Sacco (; April 22, 1891 – August 23, 1927) and Bartolomeo Vanzetti (; June 11, 1888 – August 23, 1927) were Italian immigrants and anarchists who were controversially convicted of murdering Alessandro Berardelli and Frederick Parm ...

Anarchist Black Cross The Anarchist Black Cross (ABC), formerly the Anarchist Red Cross, is an anarchist support organization. The group is notable for its efforts at providing prisoners with political literature, but it also organizes material and legal support for c ...

campaigns for anarchist dissidents in

Francoist Spain Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . After his death i ...

, and the anti-nuclear marches of the 1960s. Feldman was registered blind after her eyesight was damaged in a bomb blast, which had been worsened by an accident in surgery. In her seventies she travelled to Warsaw to try and trace her relatives, all of whom had perished. She died in London on 3 January 1993 at the age of 94.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Feldman, Leah 1898 births 1993 deaths 20th-century anarchists 20th-century British Jews British anarchists British anti-fascists British milliners Furriers Jewish anarchists People from Odesa People from Warsaw Ukrainian anarchists Yiddish-speaking people