Image by Twitter

By Dave Goldiner January 15, 2018

Hundreds of friends and relatives attended a private funeral service Monday for Blaze Bernstein, the California college student killed while home on winter break.

Bernstein’s parents pleaded for their son’s death to serve as a wake-up call for his “dream” of bringing change to a broken world.

“As we lay Blaze to rest, we ask that communities around the world that were touched by Blaze’s life, help us keep his memory and loving spirit alive,” wrote Gideon Bernstein and Jeanne Pepper in a statement.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Friends and family wait to enter funeral services for #blazebernstein at University Synagogue in #irvine @ocregister pic.twitter.com/3DcOXZ33h3

— Jeff Gritchen (@jeffgritchen) January 15, 2018

“Blaze was on a path to repair our world and it is a moral imperative that we all take steps now to make sure that his dream is realized,” they continued. “We won’t succumb to hate, bitterness or disillusionment; we will use wisely the time we have left together. When we stop crying we will start doing positive things to affect change. We ask that everyone work towards something good. Stop being complacent. Do something now.”

Scores of people lined up outside University Synagogue in Irvine before the somber event.

Attendees at the service were given a small spatula and a recipe that Bernstein, a cooking maven who worked on a food blog at University of Pennsylvania, created over the holiday break, the local Patch news site reported.

Blaze Bernstein, a popular pre-med student at the University of Pennsylvania, disappeared on Jan. 3 after going to meet a high-school friend in a park near his home in suburban Los Angeles. His body was later found in a shallow grave.

Samuel Woodward, the friend, was arrested after police said DNA evidence tied him the killing. He has reportedly made disturbing comments online about guns and torture. He is being held without bail and is expected to be arraigned Tuesday.

Friends and strangers have created a makeshift memorial for Blaze Bernstein in the park where he was killed. They include scores of small rocks, which are often used as a symbol of remembrance in Jewish tradition.

Whoever created this, I thank you. Your art has touched me. You are making the world a better place. pic.twitter.com/KOuixcvQK3

— Jeanne Pepper (@bernsteinmom) January 13, 2018

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount