Sheff was born in the Whitefield, Manchester, United Kingdom in 1963 in a Jewish family.

[1] Later, he attended the University of Leeds and graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science and international relations.

[5] Sheff is the current CEO of the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se).

[5][6] Under his tenure, IMPACE-se has submitted extensive reports which evaluate the textbook curriculum of countries around the world, particularly the Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia,[7] the United Arab Emirates,[8] Qatar,[9] Yemen[10] and the Palestinian Authority,[11] urging them to reform their textbooks.

[12] Sheff is also a Major in reserves in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Spokesperson Unit.