Rebecca Leefson was a daughter of the hairdresser Salomon Louis Leefson and Naatje Swaab. She was born in Amsterdam on 12 June 1895 as the youngest of three daughters: Her sisters were Rachel, who was born in 1888, and Schoontje in 1889; from both of them nothing else is known. As an apprentice seamstress, Rebecca stayed in Yverdon, Switzerland, from 31 July 1914 to 24 January 1916.
Back with her parents in Amsterdam she worked as a seamstress. After the death of her mother Naatje Swaab in January 1919, she was sentto her uncle Salomon Mozes Leefson in March 1919. Her father was admitted to the Central Israëlitic Psychiatric Hospital “Het Apeldoornsche Bosch” on 10 December 1923, where he died as the widower of Naatje Swaab on 3 March 1924.
Rebecca married David Bokkie on 1 December 1921 in Zaandam, who was born on 5 March 1895 as the son of Samuel Bokkie and Betje Walvis. He was a diamond worker and member of the ANDB. However, the marriage did not last and on 9 October 1926 the marriage was dissolved by divorce in Zaandam. Rebecca and David had no children.
Two years later, on 4 October 1928, Rebecca Leefson married for the second time - now to Israël de Magtige, a son of Hartog de Magtige and Elisabeth Trijtel. He was born in Amsterdam on 16 August 1896 and by profession he was a diamond adjuster. After the marriage had been concluded, Rebecca and Israël moved into a house at Waverstraat 58 3rd floor in Amsterdam-South, where their daughter Bertien was born on 1 June 1929. The De Magtige family moved to Thérèse Schwarzeplein 29 2nd level in May 1932 and to house number 25 1st floor, in March 1938.
Due to a “Vergehen gegen Jüdische Gesetze” - an offense against German Jewish laws - Israel the Magtige was transferred as a penal case from the Vught concentration camp to Westebork on 31 March 1943. Before that, Israel had already been arrested on 19 February 1943 and sent to Vught. On 19 April 1943, he was admitted to hospital barrack 83 in Westerbork and more than a week later, on 27 April he was transported to Sobibor, where Israel the Magtige was murdered in the gas chambers on 30 April 1943.
Rebecca de Magtige-Leefson and her then still 13-year-old daughter Bertien were deported to the Vught concentration camp on the night of 4 to 5 March 1943. On 6 June, Bertien and her mother were transported to Westerbork – this was the so-called children's transport. On 7 June a large group of children and supervisors arrived from Vught again and all of them, a total of about 3017 children and supervisors, were deported to Sobibor on 8 June 1943. Upon arrival there on June 11, 1943, all were murdered in the gas chambers. There were no survivors.
Sources include the City Archive of Amsterdam, family registration cards of David Bokkie (1895) and Israël de Magtige (1896); archive cards of Rebecca Leefson, David Bokkie/De Bock, Israël de Magtige and Bertien de Magtige; Closed down family registration cards City Archive Amterdam/Rebecca Leefson; website openarchieven.nl/marriage Salomon Louis Leefson x Naatje Swaab; death certificate Amsterdam year 1919/2-42 dated 18 January 1919 no. 490 for Naatje Leefson-Swaab; death certificate no. 132 from Apeldoorn dated 3 March 1924 for Salomon Louis Leefson; the file cabinet of the Jewish Council, registration cards of Israël de Magtige, Rebecca de Magtige-Leefson and Bertien de Magtige; website ITS Arolson/camp cards Vught for Israël de Magtige, Rebecca de Magtige-Leefson and Bertien de Magtige and the website Jodentransporten vanuit Nederland.nl/27 April 1943 en 8 June 1943.