Chaim Waxman, a prominent sociologist of contemporary
Orthodoxy, is one of the keenest observers of American Jewish society. In
illustration of how Orthodoxy is adapting to modernity, he presents a detailed discussion
of halakhic developments, particularly regarding women’s greater participation
in ritual practices and other areas of communal life. He shows that the
direction of change is not uniform: there is both greater stringency and
greater leniency, and he discusses the many reasons for this, both in the
Jewish community and in the wider society. Relations between the various
sectors of American Orthodoxy over the past several decades are also
considered.