Holding onto one’s roots: a book telling the story and providing support for the Christians of the Holy Land

“A book that presents the facts and tells the story of the Christian presence in the Holy Land, today the land of Israel and Palestine. A topical subject that will help us to dream of a better, more beautiful tomorrow, where finally we can call this land the Land of God. Jews, Muslims, Christians: and the Christians as a small minority, who must fully and joyfully live their own witness of faith and belonging, without isolating themselves, indeed with the ability to be open to new forms of creativity that not only are permitted, but sometimes are even expected by the brothers of other faiths.”

 These words of Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Custos of the Holy Land, introduce the new book “Aggrappati alle radici. Storie e volti dei cristiani in Terra Santa” [“Holding onto One’s Roots: Stories and Faces of the Christians in the Holy Land”] produced by Andrea Avveduto and Giovanni Zennaro. The two young authors, the former a journalist and the latter a photographer, decided to tell the story of the situation facing Christians who live in the Land of the Gospel. Their work was carried out in close collaboration with the Custody of the Holy Land and ATS pro Terra Sancta.

Uniting their individual techniques and skills, Andrea and Giovanni collected stories and photographs, showing through their work the multifaceted and varied reality experienced by the Christians of the Holy Land. With this book, composed of stories recounted through both text and pictures, the authors and the publisher (Marietti 1820) are launching an appeal: to support the operation of ATS pro Terra Sancta in its efforts to aid the living stones of the Holy Land.

The authors will be available to participate in events and public meetings to present their book and to collect donations in support of the Christians of the Holy Land.

Additional information can be requested through the website (in Italian) www.aggrappatialleradici.com.