This is Mario Batali in crocs. Don’t be Mario Batali. Image by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images

This Yom Kippur, as you search through your closet for non-leather shoes to observe the dictates of the holy day, please can we all just say no to crocs?

Yes I have written before of my strange obsession with Christopher Kane’s furry iteration of crocs, and yes, crocs are seeing a surge in popularity this year, becoming profitable for the first time in years, and may take the path of Birkenstocks, becoming rebranded as a fashion staple like the formerly crunchy-granola brand.

But the synagogue is a holy place and Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year. Why on earth would you take that holiness and stomp on it with a pair of shoes that make your feet look like Bigfoot?

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The exception is, of course, children. For some inexplicable reason, kids always look cute in crocs. Maybe it’s the adorableness of seeing pint size children with overgrown feet; maybe it’s because the outsized curves work with a child’s innate precociousness. Whatever the reason, crocs work for children, and you may put these abominations (both real or fake) on your child’s feet in observance of the laws of this holy day. But you, the parent, should not; especially when there are so many better (often cheaper!) options available to you.

You see, fast fashion serves many purposes, but for Jews, its ability to make cheap products with cheap materials represents a boon to a day where wearing leather is a no-no. Leather is expensive; pleather is not. And so any fast fashion or cheap store will stock thousands of non-leather options to protect your feet. Being that fast fashion takes the trends of the day and recreates them at cheaper price points, there is no need to sacrifice your sense of style on Yom Kippur.

Here are six better footwear options to wear to synagogue on Yom Kippur:

Image by zara.com

Zara’s pointed ballerina flats are pretty and practical: the lack of heel is good for a day of standing for all-day services, but the pointy toe is flattering by elongating the foot.

Image by hm.com

More of a sneaker girl, but want something dressier in honor of the holiday? Look no further than these glitter sneakers from H&M.

Image by asos.com

Menswear fanatics will love these subversively girly metallic brogues from Asos.

Image by zara.com

While it’s not recommended to wear heels when there’s no food or water in your body, if you insist on wearing heels, there are many brands making no-leather versions. These velvet Zara heels are on-trend for the fall season.

Image by forever21.com

Are you a loungewear queen? These mules from Forever21 strike the perfect balance of “I-like-to-sleep-in” with a hefty dose of “fancy-pants.”

Image by Payless.com

Fur was seen all over the fall runways. But you, as an animal lover, would never want to wear the real deal anyway. These faux-fur (and faux suede) pom-pom slip-ons from Payless allow you to partake in the trend, guilt-free.

Michelle Honig is a writer at the Forward. Contact her at [email protected] and Twitter.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re in the middle of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 22.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount