Born in 1963, Kessler was educated at
City of London School and graduated with a
First-Class Honours Degree in Hebrew and Religious Studies from the
University of Leeds in 1985, an
MTS degree from
Harvard Divinity School in 1987, and an
MBA degree from the
University of Stirling in 1989. He went on to work in a family business,
Kesslers International Group, for 7 years before returning to his academic studies, completing a PhD degree at the
University of Cambridge in 1999. Kessler, with
Martin Forward, founded the
Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations (CJCR) in 1998 and was elected Fellow of St Edmund's College in 2002. In 2006 The Centre for the Study of Muslim-Jewish Relations (CMJR) and the Centre for Policy Public Education were established and the name of the organisation was changed to
The Woolf Institute in 2010, and its focus was extended to the study of relationship between religion and society, with a focus on relations between Jews, Christians and Muslims. It constructed its own building in 2017, located at
Westminster College where the Institute is presently located. Kessler launched an independent UK Commission in November 2022 on the Integration of Refugees.
Lord Carlile was appointed Chair and Bishop
Guli Francis-Dehqani Vice Chair for the first year and he took over in 2023. The Commission took evidence at hearings around the UK and published its report,
From Arrival to Integration in March 2024. In 2006, he was awarded the Sternberg Interfaith Award from philanthropist Sir
Sigmund Sternberg "in recognition of outstanding services in furthering relations between faiths". In June 2007 The Times Higher Education newspaper described him as "probably the most prolific interfaith figure in British academia". Kessler has written or edited 13 books, including
An Introduction to Jewish-Christian Relations (Cambridge, 2010),
Jews, Christians and Muslims (SCM, 2013) and
Jesus (The History Press, 2016). His
Documentary History of Jewish-Christian Relations was published by Cambridge in 2024. In 2024, he was awarded the Seelisberg Prize for his contribution to fostering Jewish-Christian relations. Kessler was Convenor and Vice-Chair for the Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life (2013–15), a two-year initiative that examined the role of religion and belief in Britain. Its report,
Living with Difference] made 37 recommendations and generated public controversy, particularly over faith schools. He was also
Principal Investigator of the Woolf Diversity Study, a study of diversity in England and Wales (2017–19), which published a policy report entitled,
How We Get Along. Much of his academic work has been examining scripture and exploring the significance for Jewish-Christian relations of sharing a sacred text. He has identified a common exegetical tradition, especially in the formative centuries. More recently his writings have focussed on the encounter with Islam and contemporary relations between the three Abrahamic faiths and implications for fostering a vibrant and open society. Kessler proposes approaches for managing difference, which he argues is vital in forming a positive identity as well as sustaining communities. In his discussion on covenantal theology, he argues for the creation of ‘theological space’ in which people of faith can affirm one another without losing their particularities of faith. Kessler also explores the tensions, positive as well as negative, between religion and civil society. At a lecture at the
Brookings Institution in 2014, he argued that diplomats and policymakers need to be better trained in religion and belief, describing the contemporary religious landscape as a post-interfaith world. In 2019, at
The Council for Religious and Life Stance Communities in Oslo, he argued that because religious monopolies are in decline, Christianity can no longer be portrayed as the dominant ‘host’ religion in Europe and a previously intrinsic relationship is being weakened - belonging to a minority is the norm. In his 2024 address upon receiving the Seelisberg Prize at the
University of Salzburg he called for a redoubling of efforts to pursue genuine dialogue at a time of increasing polarisation. As well as teaching Cambridge University students, Kessler teaches at the
Cambridge Theological Federation. In 2022, as visiting professor at the Irish School of Ecumenics, Trinity College, Dublin, he delivered a lecture on ways to sustain and safeguard, Jerusalem’s Holy Places; in 2023, he delivered the Krister Stendahl Memorial Lecture in Stockholm and discussed the importance of tackling the difficult issues in interfaith dialogue. ==Books and edited volumes==