Police say the motive for the allegedly faked crime is unclear, although news outlets unearthed court documents suggesting that the family was in financial trouble
They could tell from the yellow police tape blocking off the entrance to the BerMax Caffé and Bistro, a popular Jewish-owned restaurant in the area, that yet more vandals had left their mark. It appeared to be the fourth time in a matter of months that the cafe had been targeted with anti-Semitic vandalism – only this time it seemed much worse.
But just five days later, after new revelations from police have shocked the community, the vigil was canceled and the money has been returned. There was a crime at the BerMax Caffé and Bistro – but it was not a hate crime, Winnipeg Police Chief Danny Smyth said at a news conference this week.
The alleged hoax has left the Jewish community feeling betrayed and confused, torn between believing the police or supporting the Berents’ insistence that they are innocent, said Jai Siwak, director of community outreach for Be’TLV, a Jewish LGBTQ organization that shared office space at the cafe and had spearheaded the fundraising efforts.
In their version of events, 56-year-old Alexander and Maxim Berent left Oxana alone at the cafe on the evening of April 18 while they made a run to Home Depot. Oxana claimed she was bustling around the restaurant, making preparations for Passover, when suddenly, as she was walking in a corridor near the kitchen, she felt someone grab her. She claimed she fainted immediately. “The next thing I remember, I was . . . I’m sorry,” she told the host, choking up. “I was in an ambulance.
Smyth said the motive for the allegedly faked crime is unclear, although news outlets unearthed court documents Thursday suggesting that the family was in financial trouble. The Royal Bank of Canada sued Maxim Berent on Tuesday for $43,628 in unpaid credit-card debt, CTV News reported. In August, the Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench ordered Alexander and Oxana Berent to pay another bank $112,358 in outstanding loans.
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