She was born Tamar Finkelstein in London,[1] while her parents were emissaries of the Jewish Agency in England.

Upon their return to Palestine, they settled in Haifa, where Eshel graduated from the Hebrew Reali School.

Following the establishment of Israel in 1948, she began working in Jerusalem for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Eshel represented the ministry in its delegations to the United Nations, and held various positions on its behalf in the Prime Minister's Office.

In the 1970s, Eshel served as a member of Jerusalem City Council, and as deputy mayor to Teddy Kollek.