Alon Mesika has donated over one hundred engagement rings to IDF troops in memory of his son, Adir, who was murdered at the Nova music festival on October 7.
Adir was 23 when he was murdered; his father says Adir and his friend Ili were killed while they were rescuing others from the massacre, in total saving around seven people.
Alon is a veteran jeweler who worked as a diamond setter for 30 years in Ramat Gan’s diamond exchange. Following Adir’s death, his son Or proposed they honor Adir’s memory by donating an engagement ring to an IDF soldier.
Adir's Diamonds
Alon told N12 that he posted to Facebook, “The first soldier who contacts me will receive an engagement ring as a gift.”
“Within four hours, I had a soldier at home who proposed marriage to his partner that same day.”
He told Israeli media, “[Adir] will never be able to build a home in Israel, but there will be a new generation here thanks to him.”
Alon described how the first soldier arrived with tears in his eyes, still armed and in uniform as if he had just left the battlefield.
What began as a one-time offer became an emotional journey and a source of joy for Alon and his family.
The next day, another soldier called Alon to ask for a ring; he told him, “I’m so sorry, but I gave it away already to a different soldier.”
Pleading, the soldier asked, “Please, what am I going to do?” Unable to overcome the emotions, Alon offered him an engagement ring, too, and thus birthed the “Adir’s Diamonds” project.
A new generation in his memory
To date, he has donated 102 engagement rings, which, as he told KAN, are “not cheap. “ He estimates each ring is worth between NIS 5,000 and 8,000.
His story has warmed hearts worldwide. After the story began to break, he received messages from all over the world of encouragement, support, and help. Some people offered to help find diamonds for the rings.
He also says there is no time limit, “It’s not connected to the progress of the war or its end or anything like that. Whenever you want, come, get a ring.” He said, looking directly at the camera.
“I have received so many invitations to weddings. I have received so many updates in which the soldiers tell me that it was the ‘Adir’s Diamonds’ project that pushed me to pop the question.”
“Is there anything more meaningful? Is there anything more immortalizing?” asked a reporter.
“Every hug I receive from a soldier feels like a hug from Adir. Yes, that’s the truth.”