David Francis Kessler, OBE, (6 June 1906 - 24 November 1999) was a British publisher and author. He was the managing director of ''

The Jewish Chronicle ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

''.

Early life

David Kessler was born on 6 June 1906 in

Pretoria Pretoria () is South Africa's administrative capital, serving as the seat of the Executive (government), executive branch of government, and as the host to all foreign embassies to South Africa. Pretoria straddles the Apies River and extends ...

, South Africa. His father, Leopold Kessler, was a friend of

Theodor Herzl Theodor Herzl; hu, Herzl Tivadar; Hebrew name given at his brit milah: Binyamin Ze'ev (2 May 1860 – 3 July 1904) was an Austro-Hungarian Jewish lawyer, journalist, playwright, political activist, and writer who was the father of modern p ...

, an early proponent of

Zionism Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...

, and a shareholder of ''The Jewish Chronicle''. Kessler was educated at

Leighton Park School Leighton Park School is a co-educational Independent school (United Kingdom), independent school for both day and boarding pupils in Reading, Berkshire, Reading in South East England. The school's ethos is closely tied to the Quaker values, havin ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

before graduating from the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in law and economics.

Career

Kessler began his career by working for

Antonin Besse Antonin Besse (1877-1951) was a French-born businessman based in Aden, where he spent most of his adult life. St Antony's College, Oxford was established in 1950 as a result of a large donation he made to the university. Early life Antonin Bess ...

, an oil and shipping businessman with ties to the

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New Yo ...

Aden Aden ( ar, عدن ' Yemeni: ) is a city, and since 2015, the temporary capital of Yemen, near the eastern approach to the Red Sea (the Gulf of Aden), some east of the strait Bab-el-Mandeb. Its population is approximately 800,000 people. ...

, Yemen. He subsequently worked for the Palestine Potash Company, later known as the Dead Sea Works, in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. Kessler became the managing director of ''

'' in London in 1935. In 1946, he dismissed the editor,

Ivan Greenberg Ivan Marion Greenberg (8 December 1896 – 11 March 1966) was an English journalist. He served as the editor of ''The Jewish Chronicle'' from 1935 to 1946. He was a Revisionist Zionist. Early life Ivan Greenberg was born in 1896 in London. His ...

, who was deemed too divisive. Instead, he appointed

John Maurice Shaftesley John Maurice Shaftesley OBE (1901–1981) was an English journalist and writer, and editor of ''The Jewish Chronicle'' from 1946 to 1958. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1956. He was the uncle of Ame ...

, who remained in the post until 1958, when he hired

William Frankel William Frankel (3 February 1917 – 18 April 2008) was the editor of the British weekly newspaper ''The Jewish Chronicle'' from 1958 until 1977. He wrote the books ''Friday Nights'' (1973), ''Israel Observed'' (1980), ''Survey of Jewish Affairs'' ...

. Kessler wrote two books. He was a founding member of the

Minority Rights Group Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is an international human rights organisation founded with the objective of working to secure rights for ethnic, national, religious, linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples around the world. Their ...

. He served as the chairman of the Falasha Welfare Association and the

Wiener Library The Wiener Holocaust Library () is the world's oldest institution devoted to the study of the Holocaust, its causes and legacies. Founded in 1933 as an information bureau that informed Jewish communities and governments worldwide about the pe ...

in London. He became OBE in 1996.

Personal life and death

Kessler had a wife, Matilda, a son, and three daughters. They resided in

Stoke Hammond Stoke Hammond is a village and also a civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and co ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

, England, where he died on 24 November 1999.

Works

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References

1906 births 1999 deaths Writers from Pretoria People from Buckinghamshire British Jews Alumni of the University of Cambridge Publishers (people) from London Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century English businesspeople {{England-writer-stub

Early life

Career

Personal life and death

Works

Further reading

References