Candlelight Vigil For Blaze Bernstein, UPenn College Student

LAKE FOREST, CA — Hundreds of people from all across southern California turned out Wednesday at 6 p.m. to a somber candlelight vigil at Borrego Park to honor the life of 19-year old UPenn student and Lake Forest resident Blaze Bernstein. Bernstein's body was discovered by OCSD investigators Tuesday afternoon in the brush of the perimeter of the park following torrential rains.

Bernstein’s family reported him missing to OCSD Wednesday Jan. 3rd — after he was last seen at approximately 11 p.m. the night before walking into Borrego Park next to the Foothill Ranch Library on Cabriole, authorities said.

Mourners created a makeshift memorial for the 2016 Orange County School of the Arts graduate whose family is Jewish. White candles and blue Star of David candles illuminated the tiered park table along with decorated rocks mourners left as a symbolic gesture of “shiva” — the first period of structured mourning in Judaism.

The word "shiva" has different meanings across different cultures and in Hebrew it means "seven,” according to www.shiva.com. “Shiva, as it relates to Jewish mourning, is the seven-day mourning period for the immediate family of the deceased which consists of spouse, child, parent or sibling,” the site explains.

Corona Del Mar High School freshman Grant Trider, 15, was a longtime family friend of Bernstein’s. He and his Mom came from the coast to pay their respects to their young friend.

“I remember him coming over to my parents house to play when I was just four-years old,” reflected a soft spoken Grant Trider. “It is just so sad. I wanted to make sure to come tonight with my Mom to pay my respects.”

Lake Forest resident of 17-years Robert Gaouette expressed his sadness for Bernstein.

“I didn’t know him but I helped to search for him while he was missing,” Gaouette said. “I know this area so well. I spent around three hours searching for him. I was looking really hard for signs of where he might be — loose soil or footprints. I just knew he had to still be in this area. I am really into forensics so I took the search really seriously.”

People at the vigil said Borrego Park has a reputation for being a “tough park” — despite its location in the hub of upscale South Orange County. Vast in space, nearly pitch black, and far away from the road — according to those who remained after the vigil, people apparently know they can come out to Borrego Park for privacy.

Some think Bernstein was lured out to the park by someone on social media.

Many said Bernstein’s search brought people together from all over for a common goal: to help find the missing young man who had just begun to live his life.

On Wednesday night the same people who came together to search for Blaze Bernstein came back together to mourn his loss, and they want answers...and justice, for Blaze.

More information about sitting shiva...

“The primary purpose of the shiva tradition, or "sitting shiva," is to create an environment of comfort and community for mourners: It helps guide friends and family members through the loss of a loved one. Throughout the weeklong shiva period, mourners come together in one family’s home to offer their condolences and support,” according to shiva.com.

“From a practical standpoint, the shiva process and practices associated with Jewish mourning add structure to the life of a mourner following a death,” according to shiva.com. “In the period after suffering a loss, a mourner may be comforted by the routines prescribed by traditional Jewish mourning laws.”

“Within the Jewish faith, it is customary to leave a small stone on the grave,” according to shiva.com. “Placing a stone on the grave serves as a sign to others that someone has visited the grave. It also enables visitors to partake in the mitzvah tradition of commemorating the burial and the deceased.”

“Stones are fitting symbols of the lasting presence of the deceased’s life and memory,” according to shiva.com. “In Biblical times, the act of placing small stones on graves served as a way to preserve the gravesite so that as time passed, it could be found again.”