Tessler Tapped to Lead Ra’anana Sister City Committee

A partnership between Atlanta and the Israeli city Ra’anana reached a new milestone this past year, in the midst of a change in leadership – celebrating more than 25 years of continued relations for Atlanta’s then-18th Sister City Committee.

Former Committee Chair Dr. Arnold Heller discussed how the Atlanta-Ra’anana Sister City Committee (ARSCC) first grew out of an International Business Program at North Atlanta High School.

“We began to go on student exchanges and buying missions to purchase goods and sell them in what eventually would become a school store that we would build,” said Heller. “We took it down to Trinidad and Dominican Republic, and Estonia, and Latvia, schools there. Then I said, ‘it’s time for an Israeli school.’ I wrote to a think tank in Jerusalem, and they steered me to Ostrovsky High School in Ra’anana.”

As this program continued, Heller got involved with Atlanta Sister City Committees, chairing the Atlanta-Rio Committee from 1995 to 1998, but experienced difficulties in forming a counterpart committee in Brazil, and leapt at the chance to start a committee with a city in Israel. His pre-existing connection to Ra’anana was one of a number of factors that made it a clear choice.

“It was a pretty easy sell, because it was the 10th largest city in Israel, and at the time we were the 10th largest city in America,” said Heller, who also complimented the city’s leadership. “They were just so capable. You know the saying, if you want something done, give it to a busy person? That’s what this city government was like to me.”

The relationship was confirmed by the city councils in 2000, although the official signings would come later.

“A year later, Atlanta hosted the International Sister Cities worldwide convention,” said Heller. “The twinning was completed there with the two mayors signing in front of the gala with bands and food, and it was just a good celebration.”

There were a series of joint projects and exchanges throughout the years, but Heller’s most memorable moment was a trip to Ra’anana with then-Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.

“That was probably my highlight,” said Heller. “Finally, after 16 years, I got an Atlanta mayor to go to Ra’anana. That was big, that doesn’t happen often.”

It was on this trip that Dr. Heller’s path first crossed with Guy Tessler, the current chair of the ARSSC.

“I was the president of what was then called the American-Israel Chamber of Commerce for the Southeast Region, which changed its name to Conexx. In 2015, we took a delegation through American-Israel Chamber with Mayor Kasim Reed. As part of that program, we visited Ra’anana together with Dr. Heller.”

Tessler was approached by a committee member last year, during an Independence Day celebration in Sandy Springs. At the time, he was playing with his band.

“I was all in with my shorts and bandana and guitar in hand, and I said ‘yeah, sure’, and that was how I got involved with this whole thing,” said Tessler.

Change in leadership has also brought a change in the larger committee.

“Once I got in, I asked the existing members who wants to stay on and who wants to be replaced,” said Tessler. “Most of them were in the bracket of older people, or not necessarily older people but people who feel like they’ve done their part there. Some people were willing to stay for the transition. Definitely the idea is to fill the gaps with younger, more connected people.”

While the sister city program has remained strong, the recent wars have made programming more difficult, often with focus more on reservists in Israel.

“Businesses have collapsed, their families are in trouble, their lives are a mess and they’ve got PTSD,” said Heller. “So, there’s all kinds of programs coming up to help the reservists, to get rid of that numbness, whatever is plaguing them.”

“[Ra’anana] hosted our delegation in December of ‘25,” said Tessler, who has had to cancel multiple flights to Israel for the program since. “They were very welcoming. They saw value in this relationship. There were a lot of things that will be followed up on, but again, at the pace that the security situation conducts.”

Still, for Heller – who occasionally misses his involvement but is glad to see the next generation of the committee take shape – there’s a lot to be proud of.

“As I said, we did a lot of good stuff, and it was nice to build this relationship. I’m not a religious man, and this will give me a really good self-expression of my Judaism and my support for Israel by building and maintaining this relationship.”

For an archive of information about Atlanta’s sister cities, please visit https://arnoldheller.org/sister-cities/