Rebecca David, who was born on 4 September 1885 in Rotterdam as the 4th child of Levie David and Francina Terveen, was just like all other family members active in the world of revue and variety. Her eldest brother Hartog, who was known as “Hakkie”, was bandmaster and pianist, her brother Simon was known as the comedian and singer “Louis Davids” and her sister Hendrika went through life as the variety artist “Heintje Davids”. She herself was known as “Rika Davids”.
Rebecca David was married twice; her first husband was Joachim Weil, also called Lifschütz, from Jaroslaw Austria, to whom she was married in Rotterdam on 21 August 1908, but who passed away there on 11 April 1915. Then she married again in Amsterdam on 26 May 1916 to Jacques Luchsinger, born in Amsterdam, from whom she divorced on 16 September 1927. From both wedlock no children were born.
At the other hand, Rebecca and her 2nd husband Jacques Luchsinger did have a foster daughter at home: Helena Blazer from Middelburg, who was born there 11 May 1916 as daughter of Carel Blazer and Mietje Presbuirg. She married 2 February 1938 in Den Haag to Martinus Rijkhart, lived in Den Haag and survived the war. Nothing else is known of her.
Under the pseudonym “Rika Davids”, Rebecca regularly performed with her brother Simon, who was widely known as “Louis Davids” and played in various revues. From 20 April 1938, Rebecca and her brothter Simon lived together in the Herman Gorterstrata 3 in Amsterdam. Simon passed away on 1 July 1939 and Rebecca moved to Scheldestraat 108 3rd floor in the River District of Amsterdam on 27 February 1940.
Rebecca David had a “Sperre” from the Jewish Council – exempted from deportation until further notice. Since 16 August 1942 she had this job with the Internal Service of the Jewish Council department Aid to Departers in the Bachstraat 1, but was arrested in the end during the large-scale and secretly prepared raid of 20 June 1943. She was carried off to Westerbork where she ended up in barrack 65 and on 29 June she was deported to Sobibor. There, on arrival at 2 July 1943 Rebecca David was immediately killed in the gas chambers there.
Sources include the City Archive of Rotterdam, family registration card of Levie David; the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration card of Jacques Luchsinger, archive cards of Rebecca David and Helena Blazer, residence card of Amsterdam, Herman Gorterstraat 3; the Municipal Archive of Den Haag, family registration card Martinus Rijkhart/Helena Blazer and the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration card of Rebecca David.