Ask The Rabbi
Facebook Youtube

Ask The Rabbi
Facebook Youtube

category:  Jewish Law

Converting a church into a synagogue

The Rav Name: Rabbis of the Da’at Institute
  • Question

We have been offered a property to use as a synagogue, but there is a great possibility that the place served in the past as a place of ‘worship’ for Christians. Is it permissible to use the property?

  • Answer
If the property is a rented one, there is grave doubt and many authorities will not permit the use of it. If the property has been purchased and is totally under ownership of the synagogue, some authorities lean towards forbidding its use, others lean towards permitting it. If the previous structure has been destroyed and a new one built, it is permissible without doubt to use it. At the very least, it should be very obvious to anyone looking at it that it has no connection whatsoever to its former use.

Sources

פסקי תשובות ח”ב ע’ רחצ