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Family, friends, and members of the community smiled, cheered, and snapped photos as nine couples were escorted down the red carpet one by one and gathered under their respective chuppahs of red velvet and gold trim.

The mass wedding is a staple of Bris Avrohom's activities, and its 30th anniversary event was no different.

On Sept. 13, Bris Avrohom marked the occasion at the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in Parsippany, while holding its 24th consecutive annual mass wedding. Nine couples from across the tri-state area, all of whom were originally from the former Soviet Union, were married according to Jewish law, after having previously had only civil weddings. Simon and Lina Garber, long-time members of Bris Avrohom, were the guests of honor for the evening.

Alex and Inna Silman of Marlboro and Iosif and Sofiya Khotinskiy of Englishtown were among the nine couples married.

Maria Rakovitsky, a friend of the Silman's, said it felt wonderful to be able to celebrate this special day with the couple.

"We wanted to share the happiness with them," Rakovitsky said.

Mordechai Kanelsky, who himself emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1970, founded the Chabad-affiliated organization in 1979 in order to support Jewish life among the Russian Jewish immigrant community. In 1989, Bris Avrohom moved its headquarters to Hillside from Jersey City, though the Jersey City branch remains open. The Fair Lawn and Old Bridge branches opened in 1992 and 2003, respectively.

In addition to supporting Jewish life cycle events such as brissin, bar mitzvahs, and weddings, the organization also offers a minyan three times a day at all its branches; holds adult education classes in Judaism and English-as-a-second-language; and aids members of the community in their efforts to become American citizens.

Rabbi Yossi Kanelsky, director of the Old Bridge branch and son of Mordechai Kanelsky, said that the 30-year anniversary was particularly meaningful to him after watching his parents work tirelessly to build the organization over the last three decades.

"To me, it's a very emotional, very special experience, as their child, as their first born, to see my parents over the years and watch how Bris Avrohom has unraveled and expanded," Yossi Kanelsky said, describing his father's early efforts as "a one-man band."

Members and supporters of the organization attending the anniversary expressed their admiration and appreciation for all that the organization has done for the local Russian Jewish community over the past 30 years.

"Rabbi Kanelsky, who has done a magnificent job bringing people from the former Soviet Union to observing Jewish culture and traditions and even sometimes halakha, has been an inspiration to the Russian Jewish community," said Sergy Zamota of Parsippany, who described himself as a member-at-large of Bris Avrohom. "Personally my family has had three brissen and one chuppah [through Bris Avrohom] and so I couldn't ask for more," he added.

Greg Raykher, a resident of Teaneck and a board member of Bris Avrohom, said that he first became involved with the organization after being approached by Mordechai Kanelsky almost nine years ago. The mass wedding ceremony exemplifies the kind of good work that Bris Avrohom does for the community, Raykher said.

"We take it for granted, but that people are going out of their way to have a Jewish wedding is inspiring," he said.

Esther Levine of Teaneck echoed that sentiment, describing with affinity her involvement with Bris Avrohom over the years.

"My husband and I went out one Sunday to their original shul and we thought that the organization was amazing," Levine said, "Over the years, we remained involved. It's unbelievable how they help people."

Rabbi Avraham Kanelsky, the younger brother of Mordechai Kanelsky, traveled all the way from Israel in order to attend the anniversary celebration.

"They always say that America is somewhere where anything is possible -- that a person can come from the former Soviet Union and be honored this evening for being part of the Jewish community," Avraham Kanelsky told The Jewish State on the importance of the evening.

Yossi Kanelsky said he is grateful that Bris Avrohom has been able to grow and thrive for the past three decades.

"We're very thankful to Hashem, to God, for giving us the strength and guidance to persevere for all these years and for many more to come," he said. "This is very special, very unique, in that despite many hardships and complications, we can celebrate with many who have been with us since the beginning."