The commemoration took place in the so-called Garden of Connection – a courtyard within the hospital – and was attended by around eighty people directly affected by the attack on 28 September 2023, in which lecturer Jurgen Damen, as well as the gunman’s neighbour and her daughter, lost their lives. Others were able to follow the event via a livestream in locations such as a lecture hall or from their own computers.
The intimacy of grief
“We discussed it at length and ultimately made a conscious decision to hold a small gathering”, explained Joke Boonstra, vice-chair of EMC’s Executive Board, afterwards. “Erasmus MC has seventeen thousand employees and four thousand students, and everyone processes this event in their own way and has their own need for comfort. A large gathering might not have done justice to the intimacy of grief. Now, in hindsight, I’m glad we were able to do it this way.”
Poem
Boonstra shared that she had already received some reactions shortly after the commemoration. The decision to have singer and medical student Rosanne, just like last year, perform at the commemoration a week after the attack for those affected created a sense of familiarity. Boonstra also found the poem by Moze Naél to be very fitting. The poet had spoken extensively with lecturers and students who were involved in the attack to craft his work.
Never the same
For Boonstra, it was the togetherness among all staff and students, along with the support from outside the organisation, that helped her get through the past year. However, she admits, Erasmus MC will never be the same after 28 September 2023. A monument will be placed in the hospital’s main hall in memory of the attack to serve as ‘a tangible reminder of this dark chapter’.
Flowers were laid in the hospital’s hall. Upon leaving, visitors could also take a commemorative card, which featured an excerpt from the poem that Moze Naél had written and recited especially for the commemoration. Inside the card were poppy seeds, a flower symbolising remembrance and comfort.
The text on the card reads [translation by EM]
seeking the end / in deep loss
finding each other / in a new beginning
