On Fort Drum, this holiday season is about a lot more than just Christmas. Soldiers from all walks of life and all beliefs work together on base.

And as Hanukkah began on Dec. 25, Fort Drum’s Jewish community has a new place to call home.

“When I first got here, I was like, we don't even have a Jewish community, but we have all these other great these other communities around here,” said Chaplain Daniel Kamzan, the post missionary team rabbi.

Instead of a synagogue, the worshipers would set up a room inside the post's main chapel and then immediately after service, they would have to take it all down.

"It was a body without a soul, I like to say,” Kamzan added.

The Jewish community on Fort Drum is not alone. Most installations across the country do not have a dedicated synagogue.

“It’s something that's pretty rare,” Sergeant First Class Gideon Schwartz said. “Part of being Jewish is knowing that you are different. It’s not in a good or bad way, it’s just that we have our own mission and we're always a small part of the population."

However, with Hanukkah beginning this year on Dec. 25, this group made a request with Fort Drum leadership, which approved it.

The post’s entire community now has its own synagogue in the post's main chapel.

“It's a place for people to build a community and to build a sanctuary. It's not just a room. It's a living, breathing place that we can come all together,” Kamzan added.

The community also invites the entire Fort Drum community to the synagogue for a meal. And as is Jewish custom, there are two different kitchens — one for dairy and one for meat.

“Being able to have a kind of a brick and mortar [home], real community here is outstanding. Having a place to centralize around a synagogue, it's almost priceless,” SFC Schwartz said.