Waxman was the author of Tradition and Change: The Development of Conservative Judaism, published in 1958. He also served as editor of the journal, Conservative Judaism for five years, from 1969 to 1974. Waxman received his bachelor's degree at the University of Chicago and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City. He was an Army chaplain during World War II, serving in Fort Dix, New Jersey and served from 1941 to 1942 as rabbi of Temple Beth Israel (Niagara Falls, New York), and also in Chicago, Illinois.