SHATNEZ ALERT: UGG shoes

Ema of 5

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 10:19 am

trixx wrote:

Shouldn't that be every jew also concerned about keeping kosher and mikvah, also chokim?

You’re right, but people have different mitzvos that they focus on more. Not everyone is as concerned about shatnez.

Ema of 5

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 10:22 am

renslet wrote:

This is the update

Please see my link from the yeshiva world article. According to that article, Reb Dovid Feinstein updated at 7:00PM saying that it is OK to wear most uggs. Is your update more recent that that?

cbsp

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 10:36 am

cbsp wrote:

True, but since this is a halachic issue we need to use a halachic definition.

In any case, this letter explains why, in the case of Uggs, the sheepskin itself may be considered wool:

Bs’d
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS OF PROFESSIONAL SHATNEZ LABORATORIES

Yosef Sayagh
515 8th Street, Lakewood NJ 08701
(732) 364 7056 E-mail shatnezhedqtrs@verizon.net

Edited by: R’ Yosef Stolz (Los Angeles-California)

Bs’d
18th Feb ‘19

UGG Products
One e-mail message from UGG stating, “Yes, all of our products contain linen,”
literally touched off a shot heard ‘round the world. Over the past few years Shatnez
Laboratories have tested hundreds of UGG items such as boots, slippers, shoes, gloves,
etc. True, a small percentage were found to contain linen, however most were non-
shatnez.

Some Shatnez laboratories have
taken the initiative to actually cut
open UGG shoes and slippers and
search for linen reinforcement
fabrics sandwiched between the
fleece and the outer fabric. The
results are: No hidden linen was
found.

Do UGG boots contain wool when they are made from sheepskin?

Let us clarify why the wool fleece found in UGG products is considered wool, which is
Shua, and is not viewed halachically as sheepskin?
UGG products use what is known as “twin-face sheepskin.” This means that the wool
was shorn and then attached to webbing, to a knit fabric or to suede leather. Most UGG
boots and shoes do not contain simple sheepskin, where the fur is directly attached to the
leather.

In addition, some of the UGG products contain wool fibers attached to a knit fabric that
itself is wool.

On whom do we rely?
When an UGG product is brought to a professional Shatnez Laboratory, the tester will
inspect it inside and out, in all the places that can be reached without destroying the
item.

Unfortunately, a representative of UGG Decker Brands replied that “all their products
contain linen.” It is possible that linen may be sandwiched between the fleece and the
outer fabric in places that are not easily reachable.

Do we rely upon the word of an UGG Customer Care representative, or upon the testing
experience of Shatnez Laboratories nationwide?
Harav Ha’Gaon R’ Meshulam Polatsek, Shlita paskened that one can continue
wearing an UGG product, provided that it was checked by a Professional Shatnez
Laboratory familiar with all the intricacies of Shatnez.

If hidden linen is discovered in UGG products, the public will be immediately notified.
The International Headquarters of Professional Shatnez Laboratories is continuing to
research the issue with UGG Decker. All associated laboratories are in close contact and
sharing their testing results at this time.

This seems to have gotten lost on the previous page. It goes through the whole chain of investigating and seems to be the most up to date.

Ema of 5

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 11:24 am

cbsp wrote:

This seems to have gotten lost on the previous page. It goes through the whole chain of investigating and seems to be the most up to date.

I saw that. Was the “don’t wear uggs” response issued after Reb Dovid said it’s ok to?
I have nothing against lakewood rabbanim, in fact one of my rabbanim is a big lakewood posek, but I feel like sometimes they err on the side of “let’s say no” when really there is room for understanding and saying yes. I know my mother in, who follows other lakewood posting than the one I use, does not do many things that my rav says is ok.

cbsp

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 3:11 pm

Ema of 4 wrote:

I'm not understanding why you're saying the Lakewood Rabbanim are saying don't wear it. The long letter specifically says you may wear Uggs that have been checked for Shatnez.

Ema of 5

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 4:48 pm

cbsp wrote:

I'm not understanding why you're saying the Lakewood Rabbanim are saying don't wear it. The long letter specifically says you may wear Uggs that have been checked for Shatnez.

I guess I misunderstood. I thought they were saying don’t.

amother

Aquamarine

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 6:02 pm

I hope I’m understanding correctly. Can we wear UGGS as long as we get them checked out or is the Rabbi saying we can just wear them since they were throughly inspected already? Thanks! I just want to make sure I’m clear.

cbsp

Tue, Feb 19 2019, 8:51 pm

amother wrote:

My understanding is that each individual should take their own items to be checked by a Shatnez professional who is familiar with Uggs.

I believe that is the standard for every item since there can be variations in assembly (a different spool of thread was used and now there's an issue, a new batch of fill was acquired and now the shoulder pads are problematic, etc).

amother

Aqua

Wed, Feb 20 2019, 2:39 am

Does the classic tall ugg boot have shaatnez? Mine was tested in shaatnez lab on the spot a while ago, he said no shaatnez but I don't think he did a thorough test. If you have these boots and tested them very recently after this message came out, was it ok?

lucky14

Wed, Feb 20 2019, 2:59 am

Do they cut into them to check them? (just curious what's going to happen to mine when I bring them in). I didn't think much of it since this keeps coming up every few years but I just looked at mine and they do contain wool. I don't know how it slipped my mind to check what they were made of when I purchased them!

imasoftov

Wed, Feb 20 2019, 8:59 am

cbsp wrote:

True, but since this is a halachic issue we need to use a halachic definition.

In any case, this letter explains why, in the case of Uggs, the sheepskin itself may be considered wool:

Perhaps you thought I was saying something about shaatnez. I was not.

cbsp

Wed, Feb 20 2019, 9:15 am

imasoftov wrote:

Perhaps you thought I was saying something about shaatnez. I was not.

Oh, sorry, I misunderstood.

amother

Blonde

Wed, Feb 20 2019, 12:06 pm

I'm posting anon only because I don't want anyone relying on what I'm about to say - and who would ever follow an anonymous woman on the internet. I will also say I'm generally the last to ever say AYLOR.

When all this started and my DD is in seminary in Israel only has Uggs to wear, we told her to follow whatever the Rav of the school said she should do. She went out and bought a pair of shoes since she was told she could not wear them (this was on Sunday).

Yesterday, her seminary have told the girls no further checking is required at this time and they can wear their Uggs. Another DD's high school said the same thing.

These announcements were at the same time that YWN and Matzav were posting differing views.

Why am I saying this? because different people have different opinions on this and it is very important not to follow blindly an article on YWN or Matzav. I truly believe there are so many facets to this discussion that you need to ask someone you trust on what to do next. There will unfortunately never be a conclusion on this across the whole of Orthodox Jewry that will wrap the issue up in a neat little package. (I've been joking that the Uggs scandal is to shoes that the Indian hair scandal is to wigs and we all know the Indian hair scandal keeps popping up again and again.)

amother

Emerald

Wed, Feb 20 2019, 4:55 pm

chicco wrote:

I was responding to the 'cruel wool industry.'

They breed them in a way that they have too much skin (more skin=more wool) . The skin gets infected and they cut it off without anesthesia. You can check out wool cruelty Australia as it happens mostly in Australia.

Chickpea

Fri, Feb 22 2019, 1:05 am

Op here.
Update: I went to a shatnez laboratory today and they said that my Uggs don't contain any shatnez. They just looked at them and didn't have to do any testing.

jflower

Fri, Feb 22 2019, 5:44 am

Chickpea, please post a picture of your Uggs. I'd like to know which are okay. Thanks.

Chickpea

Fri, Feb 22 2019, 6:02 am

jflower wrote:

Chickpea, please post a picture of your Uggs. I'd like to know which are okay. Thanks.

Here's the Ugg link.
https://www.ugg.com/women-sale......html
I don't want to poskin on all Uggs. However, the shatnez tester told me that Ugg shoes and boots with trimmings are problematic. They may contain shatnez and need to be tested.

jflower

Fri, Feb 22 2019, 1:17 pm

Thanks, Chickpea

Chickpea

Fri, Feb 22 2019, 1:36 pm

jflower wrote:

Thanks, Chickpea

Yvw! I have them in black. They are so ridiculously comfortable. Have a wonderful Shabbos.

amother

Tan

Fri, Feb 22 2019, 1:55 pm

Chickpea wrote:

I have the same boots. You’re right, they are ridiculously comfortable!

I also just brought mine in, and he did actually check them for a minute. He said they were fine. I’m so relieved.