Zelda Kahan

Who was Zelda Kahan?

Zelda Kahan was a British communist.

Born in Russia in 1886, Kahan's family were forced to emigrate, and she moved to Britain at an early age. The Kahans lived at 6 Clapton Square in Hackney, London. She became an active socialist and joined the Social Democratic Federation. Within the SDF, she was a leading opponent of Ernest Belfort Bax's anti-feminism, and an ardent anti-militarist. After a resolution she proposed to the conference of the SDF's successor, the British Socialist Party, was approved against the wishes of the party leadership, she was elected to its executive. She worked alongside Theodore Rothstein in opposition to World War I, and supported the foundation of the Communist Party of Great Britain.

Zelda Kahan publicly justified Stalin's collectivization policies, and denied Holodomor taking place.

Kahan married fellow communist William Peyton Coates, and became known as Zelda Coates. Together, they set up the Anglo-Russian Parliamentary Committee. She co-wrote several books with her husband, including Soviets in Central Asia and Why Russia Will Win. The Coates lived at 37 Coolhurst Road, Hornsey, London N8 in later days.