A raccoon club for Jews

Ralph and Ed had the International Order of Friendly Sons of the Raccoons. Barney and Fred had the Royal Order of the Water Buffaloes, and even Howard Cunnigham had the Leopard Lodge. The Talmud promises that Jew lacks nothing if he follows the commandments, and I see from Saturday's New York Times, that this is true: We may not be able to fritter time away and hang out with each other at animal lodges, but we do have Congregation Shomrei Shabbos

Congregation Shomrei Shabbos, a 24-hour synagogue where a service begins every 15 minutes. What started more than three-quarters of a century ago as a tiny congregation has grown into a mainstay of this community: transit hub, soup kitchen, community center, bookstore and prayer hall all in one.

And of course cholent and other Jewish delicacies are easily found in close proximity:

Thanks to all this activity, the once-inconspicuous synagogue is now a trigger for local nightlife....Sub Express, a kosher fast-food restaurant whose menu includes what is described as a unique “brisket egg roll,” keeps its doors open until 1 a.m. Another popular outpost is Deli 52, which on Thursday nights serves two [!!] variations of cholent, a traditional Sabbath stew of beans, meat and barley, until 4 a.m.[!!!] The late-night cholent attracts crowds of men, who often stay and schmooze until the morning hours, a somewhat controversial activity among the ultra-Orthodox, who pride themselves on not wasting time with idle chat.

Related: A bar named Learn
[I received this story from Amshi, by email, and saw it on OrthoMom. If you've blogged it, too, let me know and I'll give you a polite golf clap (and add your post here)]