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Is one allowed to hire idolaters, if it is known that part of their salary is donated to idolatrous activities?

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    Your not giving them money to donate to churches, rather for their services ,wtvr they do with their money is their problem.
    – sam
    Dec 29, 2019 at 15:25
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    @sam wouldn't that contradict the logic of the first mishna in A"Z? We don't do business with idolaters because of what they might choose to do with what we sell them. In this case, do we expand that prohibition beyond selling to them for the exact same fear?
    – rosends
    Dec 29, 2019 at 15:47
  • That's a specific transaction, not an employee all year long
    – sam
    Dec 29, 2019 at 15:53
  • but the cause and effect are the same.
    – rosends
    Dec 29, 2019 at 15:53
  • Your are hiring them with the intention to get a job done, not to support their life style. (Obviously it is better to hire a Jew , especially a poor Jew)
    – hazoriz
    Dec 29, 2019 at 19:48

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Rema Yore Dea 149,4:

אם מפרש בהדיא לעבודת כוכבים שלו או שידוע שהוא לעבודת כוכבים או שאומר לקדש פלוני אסור לקנות ממנו (שם וכן פשוט בתוס' ובהגמי"י)

If the Gentile says explicitely that the money you give him will go towards idolatry, or if it's known he will give proccedings to idolatry or he says "for this idol" you cannot buy it from him

The Shulchan Aruch 149,3 says even if only the tax (i.e a percentage) goes for idolatry it is forbidden to purchase anything from him

אסור מפני שהוא נותן מכס (ואף אם יניחו לו המכס אסור) (טור) והמכס לאלילים

So if he is Selling his services and says even some of procceedings will be given to idolatry you cannot do business with him.

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Hiring an idolater to do work for you is the same as purchasing something from an idolatrous merchant. The Sources are full of examples of the latter, which is obviously allowed. So the former is allowed also.

(To be sure, there are restrictions on trade with idolaters around the time of their festivals. They are described in tractate Avodah Zarah (Ch. 1), but they are insignificant in the big picture of trade with idolaters.)

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    It's only allowed to purchase certain things at certain times from idolaters. The "obviously allowed" you speak of is non-existent.
    – Double AA ♦
    Dec 30, 2019 at 2:08
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    @DoubleAA -- I am aware of the restrictions on trade with idolaters around the time of their festivals, as described in tractate Avodah Zarah. They are insignificant in the big picture of trade with idolaters. My conclusion stands. (Note that I said "obviously allowed", not "allowed with absolutely no restrictions.)
    – Maurice Mizrahi
    Dec 30, 2019 at 2:18
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    Your conclusion stands imprecisely then.
    – Double AA ♦
    Dec 30, 2019 at 2:19
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    I'm seeing two unsourced (and as-written, slightly dubious sounding) claims here: 1) hiring is the same as purchasing, and 2) purchasing from an idolatrous merchant is permitted. Especially since you write "The Sources are full of examples of the latter", including (at least some) actual sources instead of just saying they exist would improve the answer.
    – Salmononius2
    Dec 30, 2019 at 3:42

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