Boro Park Jewish Community Council Hosts Immigration Expo Tomorrow to Provide Free, Top Legal Expert Advice

By Yehudit Garmaise

The Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BJJCC), which is located at 1310 46th Street, is hosting an Immigration Expo tomorrow, starting at 10am, that will stay laser-focused on the questions, concerns, and needs of the local heimish community.

“The Immigration Enforcement Agency can be scary, and the naturalization process can be confusing and complicated,” said BPJCC CEO Avi Greenstein, who expects up to 100 participants at the expo tomorrow. “People can get worried about coming forward and asking their questions, and it is not the way it should be.”

In addition to wanting to help to provide the practical information that the many immigrants in Boro Park who hail from other shores and lands, such as England, Canada, Israel, and other countries after marriage or for other reasons, Greenstein said that he most wants Yidden to know that they are not alone.

Tomorrow’s Immigration Expo, Greenstein explained is not only to provide Boro Parkers with information, updates, changes, and nuances to immigration law that is relevant to our community, but to start to raise awareness among immigrants in the neighborhood that help is here, available, free, and comprehensible.

“We want to provide information that is laser-geared toward the heimish community, we are going to take on every issue, and we are going to be there to support you,” said Greenstein, who contrasted the immigration information the BPJCC provides with the type of information one might receive “by going to a conference in Washington or Manhattan.”

“Boro Parkers should realize that they have help. They can come in, make an appointment, and use this opportunity to gather information and get support.”

Answering questions and meeting with participants will be longtime immigration attorneys David Frenkel and Joseph M. Moskovits, who will first conduct an informational question-and-answer session, before meeting with participants in scheduled, free 10-minute private meetings that are called “Meet the Lawyer.”

To participate in the 10-minute sessions, in which participants can confidentially ask their personal questions one-on-one with the lawyers, who are top immigration experts, to discuss their particular situations, readers are asked to make reservations at www.bpjcc.org or by calling (718) 972-6600, Ext. 4609. 

“The lawyers are coming free-of-charge just to offer assistance to the community and to explain all the various, different guidelines, changes, and important topics about immigration law that recent immigrants need to know,” explained Greenstein, who added that the attorneys are the ‘real deal’ after having 50 years of experience in immigration law.

“If you have sensitive questions that you are fearful of bringing up even to a lawyer, at BPJCC, participants can sit in their own community, ask their questions, and we will handle it,” said Greenstein. “We will address it, it will be fully confidential, and you have nothing to worry about.”

For participants who have more complex immigration situations, the BPJCC employs paralegal Miriam Bissel, who works full-time at BPJCC and who, after conferring with Frenkel, follows up with all participants with answers their questions.

“Even if you don’t get the answers tomorrow, you will get what you need soon after,” said Greenstein, who plans to collect critical immigration information that is critical to the heimish community and publish it through BoroPark24 and other outlets.  

“The issues you have, many other people also have those issues,” said Greenstein.