Leopoldstadt of the main train stations at which migrants from other parts of the empire arrived in Vienna. The high number of Jewish inhabitants led to the area being called "Mazzesinsel" ("Island of Matzo", referring to the unleavened bread eaten during Passover). Several important synagogues were located there, including the Schiff Shul, the Leopoldstädter Tempel, the Türkischer Tempel, the Polnische Schul, and the Pazmanitentempel, as well as yeshivas. None of the synagogues escaped the destruction during the "Kristallnacht" pogroms of November 1938 following the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany. A fragment of a Torah scroll was saved by Heschel Messias
Jewish cuisine that is either baked, grilled, or deep fried. A popular dish among Ashkenazim, as amongst most Eastern-Europeans, is pierogi (which are related to but distinct from kreplach), often filled with minced beef. Kishka is a popular Ashkenazi dish traditionally made from beef intestine (casing) stuffed with flour or matzo meal, schmaltz and spices. The rendered fat of geese and chickens, known as schmaltz, is kept in readiness for cooking use when needed. Geribenes or "scraps," also called "griven," the cracklings left from the rendering process were one of the favorite foods in Eastern Europe. "Geribenes" is eaten spread on bread.