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Chabad centers across Middlesex County held events in honor of Hanukkah Dec. 21.

In addition to the public menorah lightings that Chabad is known for, the centers in Monroe, North and South Brunswick, and Old Bridge held events to celebrate the eight-day holiday, which began at sundown on Dec. 21.

Bris Avrohom, Old Bridge, held its fifth annual Hanukkah carnival at Old Bridge High School. The carnival was full of festivities and games for the children, which included arts and crafts, a moon bounce with a 16-foot-slide, face painting, raffles, prizes, doughnut decorating, sand art, music, food, and many other games as well.

Rabbi Yossi Kanelsky, who runs the center, said that the carnival was a great success.

"It gave children from the area, affiliated and non-affiliated, a way to celebrate Hanukkah," Kanelsky said.

More than 200 people attended the carnival, 30 of whom were teenage volunteers that Kanelsky bar and bat mitzvahed himself. He was very proud and inspired by the amount of teens who volunteered.

"They're involved, they're happy, it really brings them all together," Kanelsky said. "I wanted them to be involved. It's a great satisfaction, and more than that, it shows you they are really committed to the synagogue."

Bris Avrohom member Lana Estrina, Millstone, said that it was her first time attending the carnival. She brought her daughter, Ramona, and her two grandchildren: Stephone, 5, and Mayana, 2.

"When we came to this country, the first place we stopped is the Kanelskys in Hillside," Estrina said. She also said that the carnival was beautiful and it was the best place for children to come celebrate Hanukkah. Ramona added that her children loved the carnival and they will definitely attend next year's.

Chabad of North and South Brunswick held its annual "Hanukkah on Ice" event at the Princeton Sports Center, Monmouth Junction. The event had 102 skaters and more than 250 attendees, who skated to Jewish music, enjoyed latkes and doughnuts, and lit an ice menorah with Rabbi Mendy Carlebach, the director of Chabad of North and South Brunswick.

"Everything went phenomenal," Carlebach said. "It was a very well attended event. I think people went away feeling very good and very proud to be Jewish."

In addition to the activities in the ice skating rink, Chabad raffled off a signed hockey puck from the New Jersey Devils, which John Lieber of Metuchen won.

"The whole idea of Hanukkah is to bring light to people and [the event] brought a lot of light to people," Carlebach said.

Carlebach received the puck earlier that day, when Chabad held menorah lighting during a New Jersey Devils game against the Philadelphia Flyers. The lighting, which occurred during the second half of the game's second intermission, featured a one-minute video encouraging all Jewish fans to light the menorah. MSG Network game announcer Stan Fischler lit the shamash and Carlebach's father, Rabbi Yosef Carlebach, lit the first Hanukkah candle.

Mendy Carlebach spent the past two years working on bringing menorah lighting to New Jersey Devils games, emulating those held during Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders games. This year, with ample room for meeting and planning, Chabad made an event so successful that it may become an annual event for the Devils.

"We can celebrate our religion and we can celebrate Hanukkah," Carlebach said.

Chabad Jewish Center of Monroe held its annual Hanukkah celebration as well. The festivities included latkes, doughnuts, hot chocolate, music, singing Hebrew school students, a PowerPoint presentation dedicated to Rabbi Gavriel and Rivkah Holtzberg of Chabad-Mumbai, and the menorah lighting. Around 200 people attended the event, according to Rabbi Eliezer Zaklikovsky, director of Chabad in Monroe.

Despite the inclement weather and the many people in Monroe who live in Florida during the winter, Zaklikovsky said, the event was a huge success.

What made this Hanukkah event different from the others in Middlesex County on Dec. 21 is that the Zaklikovskys dedicated the festivities to the Holtzbergs' memory. To commemorate those who lost their lives in Mumbai, he is using an extra menorah. During the day's events, Dov Goldberg, the interim rabbi in Chabad-Mumbai, spoke to the attendees via a live phone conversation, telling them it is necessary to remember the miracle of Hanukkah, do a good deed, and be proud of one's Jewish identity.

"As we celebrate Hanukkah here today, where freedom often isn't taken for granted, one place that it is (taken for granted) is Mumbai," Zaklikovsky said. "Violence, evil is not the answer -- the way to fight back is to project light, kindness, and goodness."

Monroe Councilwoman Leslie Kopper-Egierd said she was delighted to have attended the Hanukkah celebration.

"My favorite night is the last night because I love to see the menorah lit up," Kopper-Egierd said. "What I remember the most about Hanukkah is lighting the candles, latkes frying, [but] not presents. What's important is time spent with family."

The Hebrew school sang "Ma'oz Tzur" and "Candle for Freedom" by Jeff Braverman and Jonathan Rimberg under the guidance of Chanie Zaklikovsky.

"Every year, there's growth with our children. It's exciting," Chanie Zaklikovsky said.

"She said that each year, the students of the Hebrew School perform Hanukkah songs. However, this year, after the tragedy of Mumbai, she felt a need to sing a song dedicated to freedom. During the performance of "Candle for Freedom," pictures of people who perished during the Mumbai attacks were shown on a PowerPoint presentation.

"Hanukkah has a message," she said. "Be proud to be American, where we can be who we want to, and have the pride of being American and the pride of being Jewish."