The outbreak of World War II brought immediate and profound changes to Rifka and her family. As Jews, they quickly faced escalating restrictions and severe persecution. This period marked the dramatic shift from their relatively normal lives to a constant state of threat and fear under the oppressive wartime regime. Rifka's survival during the war was marked by her active involvement in resistance efforts. A crucial part of her strategy for survival was joining a Zionist cell, which likely offered a network of support and purpose. Subsequently, she joined the partisans, aligning herself with the armed resistance movement against the occupiers, a decision that proved vital for her endurance through the conflict. 

After the war, Rifka embarked on a new chapter. She married Eduard Vostrel, and due to his diplomatic career, they lived in various locations. Her parents, who had also survived, moved to Zagreb, where her father became a respected cantor in the Jewish community. Both her parents passed away relatively young and are buried in Zagreb, signifying the end of their wartime ordeal and the beginning of a new, albeit challenging, post-war existence.