Is a Contractor Permitted to Build a Church?

Rav Yosef Kushner

Question: A Jewish man works as a contractor, and a church wants to hire him to build them a new building. Is he allowed to do this?

Answer: The Poskim rule, based on the Gemara in Avodah Zara, that one may not build a house of avodah zara. This means that a contractor cannot do it and he can’t allow his company to do it.

We previously discussed the case of an architect who is hired to draw up plans for a church and said in the name of Rav Moshe Feinstein that although it is technically permitted, it is inappropriate for a Jew to be involved with such things.

The Taz adds that it is also forbidden to install windows in a church. This means that one may not build any part of it. I once saw a teshuva that permitted sending in a non-Jewish worker to do small repair jobs, as those are not considered “building”, but larger jobs, such as putting in a new roof, may be considered to be like rebuilding the church, and would be prohibited.