Do Jews have any issues with leather?

yes. however, you are probably thinking of a certain day of the year (yom kippur) when jews must repent and one of the laws for this day is to not wear leather. thats why you might see people wearing suits and ties and running shoes.

do you know why Jews don’t wear leather on that day?

its because we’re supposed to be humble and not flaunt our wealth, i think.

The Orthodox Jewish strictures for the 10 days between and including Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (the days of atonement) have many archaic, contradictory and puzzling aspects. Google “Yom Kippur” and wander around.

My understanding was that we don’t wear leather shoes on Yom Kippur because traditionally leather shoes were more comfortable and it is a day to experience some discomfort. I don’t know how historically accurate that is. And now that folks wear comfy crocs or synthetic sneakers instead of leather that purpose would be defeated.

Jews don’t wear leather shoes on two days of the year: Yom Kippur, the Day of Judgement; and Tisha B’Av, the day that the Jewish Temple was destroyed. The reason is that these are days where Jews are supposed to be humble and sad, so we (yes, I’m Jewish) don’t wear leather shoes to make ourselves uncomfortable. This is the same reason why we don’t eat, bathe, have ‘relations’, or do other things forbidden in the time of mourning after a close relative has died.

@Dado: Are you an Orthodox Jew. Do you keep kosher? And we don’t eat during Shiva?

That’s a long time without food. I know that the family cover the mirrors and wear slippers; but everyone seems to sit down to three squares a day, and the board certainly groans. No one arrives empty-handed.

I have never been to a home where a family is sitting where there isn’t enough food to feed a small town for four years.

First of all, I am a modern Orthodox Jew; I keep kosher and always have.

Most Jews fast on the day of death, but it is optional; it is the usual custom in our community, but whatever the local rabbi says is what you should follow.

And, by the way, when a Jew says that they are fasting for three days, it doesn’t mean we aren’t eating anything for three days. That would be ridiculous. What it means is that every night, we break the fast and fast again the next day. I don’t agree with you about the amount of food that people bring though; it’s actually quite rare in my neck of the woods for people to bring food to a house of mourning (not counting the minor denominations of Conservatives and Reforms in the community; I know very little about them, since there are so few, compared to the 1,000+ Orthodox families in the community).

It should be soft, yet strong. A good queality leather jacket can last for years.

Other than that, I don’t have an issue with it.

Oh yeah, and the Yom Kippur thing.

There is also a prhibition against wearing leather on Yom Kippur because an animal was killed to make it.