Since 1969, Waskow has taken a leadership role in the Jewish Renewal movement. In 1971, he helped found the Fabrangen Havurah in Washington, DC. The torah discussions at Fabrangen inspired Waskow's God-Wrestling (NY: Schocken, 1978).
He founded The Shalom Center in 1983 and serves as its director. In its inception the Shalom Center primarily confronted the threat of nuclear war from a Jewish perspective, emphasizing the story of Noah and the imperative to save the world from "a flood of fire". As the Cold War abated, the Shalom Center turned its focus toward ecology and human rights issues. The chief concerns of The Shalom Center are:
- The Iraq War and related issues, including the growing use of torture by the United States and unchecked presidential power;
- American addiction to over-use of oil and the danger it poses to the planet through global warming;
- The creation of deeper connections among Jews, Christians, and Muslims;
- An interfaith effort to identify and encourage the use and marketing of "Sacred Foods";
- Peace in the Middle East;
- Lesbian and gay rights, especially in marriage and other sacred contexts;
- The rights of immigrants.
From 1982 to 1989, Waskow was a member of the faculty of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, where he taught courses on contemporary theology and practical rabbinics. He has also taught in the religion departments of Swarthmore College, Temple University, Drew University, and Vassar College.
In 1993, Waskow co-founded Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Between 1993 and 2005, he performed research, wrote, and spoke on behalf of ALEPH.
Waskow was ordained a rabbi in 1995 by a beth din (rabbinical court) made up of a rabbi with Hasidic lineage, a Conservative rabbi, a Reform rabbi, and a feminist theologian.
Waskow's best-known books include
Godwrestling (1978),
Seasons of Our Joy (1982),
Down-to-Earth Judaism: Food, Money, Sex, and the Rest of Life (1995), and
Godwrestling ... Round 2: Ancient Wisdom, Future Paths (1996).