Biography

About Rebecca Luks, her husband Levie Waterman and daughter Elisabeth.

Rebecca Luks, born 11 February 1902, was the third daughter of Machiel Luks and Klara Schellevis. 10 May 1933 she married Levie Waterman in Amsterdam, a bread baker and confectioner by trade and son of Mozes Hartog Waterman and Betje Engelsman. 28 November 1933 their daughter Elisabeth was born.

Rebecca lived in the family of her parents with her only brother Willem and sisters Betje, Judic and Mietje.  A baby-sister Kaatje died in 1904 only a few weeks old and her sister Judic passed away in 1929. Until her marriage she lived at Valkenburgerstraat and Zwanenburgerstraat in Amsterdam. She did not move with her parents that 8 April 1933 to Weesperstraat 57 2nd floor, but she got a home of her own in the same Weesperstraat at nr. 54 3rd stock where after her marriage with Levie Waterman they both continued to live there and where their daughter Elisabeth was born.

During the big raids in the night of 2-3 October 1942 in Amsterdam, Levie Waterman was arrested and deported to Westerbork, where he was locked in at barack 60. His wife and daughter were still spared; they still could remain at home. 26 November 1942 however, Levie Waterman was discharged from Westerbork so he returned to Weesperstraat 54 3rd floor.

But 24 February 1943, now the family as a whole was arrested and deported withthe 9th transport to concentration camp Vught. They stayed there until the 9-year old Elisabeth Waterman was put on transport 7 June 1943 with the so-called “Childrens Transport”, from Vught via Westerbork with Sobibor as final destination. Levie as well Rebecca Waterman were included in that transport too but the family had to stay behind in Westerbork in barack 62. Eventually, Rebecca Waterman-Luks, her husband Levie Waterman and daughter Elisabeth Waterman were deported to Sobibor 13 July 1943 and on arrival there 16 July 1943 immediately killed.

City archive of Amsterdam, archive cards of Machiel Luks, Rebecca Luks and Levie Waterman; A NIOD website about camp archives Vught, Konzentrationslager Herzogenbusch and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Rebecca Waterman-Luks, Levie Waterman and Elisabeth Waterman.

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