One year after completing his rabbinical studies, he joined the Washington Hebrew Congregation.
[2] He became Senior Rabbi in 1999; one of his first initiatives was Mitzvah Day, an annual event during which volunteers of different ages "work on projects for social service agencies that would improve the lives of people in need.
"[3] In 2015, Lustig one of many Reform rabbis who joined a 40-day march in Washington which had been organized by the NAACP to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
[5] In 2019, Lustig was included on the Higher Committee of Human Fraternity by Pope Francis and Grand Imam Ahmed el-Tayed to promote interfaith friendship; he was the sole Jewish representative there.
[8] After health issues, Lustig retired as Senior Rabbi at the Washington Hebrew Congregation in October 2022.