Etta Federn-Kohlhaas, born on this day in 1883, was an anarchist writer, translator, educator, and member of the Mujeres Libres. Kohlhaas, a Jewish woman, survived participating in the anti-fascist resistance in both Spain and France.

When the Nazis came to power, Federn was an established writer in Berlin, Germany, working as a literary critic, translator, novelist, and biographer. In 1932, she fled to Barcelona, Spain, joining the anarchist-feminist group Mujeres Libres.

In 1938, towards the end of the Spanish Civil War, Federn again fled, this time to France. There, she was hunted by the Gestapo as both a Jew and supporter of the French Resistance. Her son, active in the Resistance, was murdered by French collaborators in 1944, however she survived the war.

Federn was a strong supporter of literacy for women, birth control, and sexual freedom. She wrote: "Educated mothers relate their own experiences and sufferings to their children; they intuitively understand their feelings and expressions. They are good educators, as they are also friends of the children they educate."