From right: Yoram Dvash, Avi Tavisal and the three paratroopers at Moriah opening at IDWI

The three Israeli paratroopers from the iconic photo of the liberation of the Western Wall in 1967 were the guests of honor at the opening of the Moriah Collection exhibition at the International Diamond Week in Israel. An engraving of their image that has become an international symbol of the unification of Jerusalem is represented in one of the pieces of the exhibition.

The Moriah exhibition is part of International Diamond Week in Israel, being held from February 10 – 12, the largest annual event of the diamond industry, with 200 exhibitors and more than 300 buyers from 20 countries around the world.

The Moriah Collection is a unique project that encompasses works of art made of stones from the Second Temple period, embellished with a diamond and gold inlay that show milestones from Jewish history and the State of Israel. It is the lifelong project of jeweler and Israel Diamond Exchange member Avi Tavisal.

Tavisal, a longtime Jerusalemite, uses stones that were excavated at the Temple Mount, with the agreement of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The stones are transformed into carefully crafted works of art embellished with gold, diamonds and precious gems. These are limited edition items, each numbered and documented with a Certificate of Authenticity.

As part of the Moriah exhibition, the three original paratroopers were invited to stand alongside the sculpture showing their image as they stare in amazement at the newly liberated Western Wall in Jerusalem during the Six Day War.

Yoram Dvash, president of the Israel Diamond Exchange, said at the ceremony: "We are here today at the International Diamond Week. We are diamantaires, we deal in diamonds but above us all, such as Jerusalem. This has been a great opportunity to bring together the International Diamond Week and the Moriah exhibition with the three paratroopers who have honored us with their presence. It is a great honor for me to stand here today. "

The creator of the exhibition, Avi Tavisal said: "It is a great privilege for me to stand here as the son of a Holocaust survivor for whom diamonds were a literal life saver. From my father I inherited the love of diamonds and from my mother the love of Jerusalem and I always dreamed of connecting the two."