Robert H. Eisenman, the Cal State Long...

Robert H. Eisenman, the Cal State Long Beach professor who recently made headlines by helping win access for all scholars to the previously unpublished Dead Sea Scrolls, leaves today to head a radar-assisted search in the Judean desert in Israel for scrolls that may yet remain undiscovered.

“The search is a long shot,” said Eisenman, “but we think it is necessary. We’ll be using a radar ground scan to find out if there are any hidden, buried, covered-over or artificially hollowed-out repositories that might have been missed before.”

Since 1947, thousands of scrolls have been found in the Judean desert and Qumran cliffs near the Dead Sea in territory now held by Israel.

The scrolls were written from 200 BC to AD 50 and are important to historians of religion and linguistics because they contain the oldest known copies of the Old Testament, written in Hebrew and Aramaic, and originals of many other religious and secular writings. They are among the best sources of information about early Christianity and its relationship to Judaism.

From the time of their discovery until this year, about 20% of the original scrolls were reserved for exclusive research by a few scholars who had obtained permission to study and translate them from the Jordanian government, and after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, from the Israeli Department of Antiquities.

The three-week expedition, financed by the Irving I. Moskowitz Foundation of Long Beach, will involve scholars and archaeologists from the United States, England and Israel including Norman Golb and Michael Wise, both of the University of Chicago; James Tabor, University of North Carolina; James Battenfield, Cal State Long Beach; Philip Davies, University of Sheffield, England; Dan Bahat, Bar-Ilan University, Israel, and Tony Wood of Ground-Scan Limited, England.

RETIREMENT

Chandler, a religion writer for The Times since January, 1974, has taken early retirement effective this week. He will continue writing books about religion and contribute occasional articles to The Times. The Chandlers will live in Solvang.

WORSHIP

The picturesque Wayfarers Chapel in Rancho Palos Verdes celebrates the new year Sunday with an ecumenical Communion service. It is located at 5755 Palos Verdes Drive South, Rancho Palos Verdes. (310) 377-1650.

High Mass of the Epiphany will be celebrated by candlelight at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 5, at the Lutheran Church of the Master in Sylmar. Communion will be offered. The church is at 13425 Glenoaks Blvd., Sylmar. (818) 362-7709.

EVENTS

The New Oxford Review Forum presents author Ronda Chervin at St. Mel’s Catholic Church in Woodland Hills on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Chervin is a professor and member of the Bishops’ Commission on Women; 7:30 p.m., St. Mel’s Church auditorium, 20870 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills. Admission is free. (818) 508-6257.

Music composed in the Terezin concentration camp in Czechoslovakia will be performed by members of the Choral Society of Southern California, in a concert sponsored by the Friends of the Martyrs Memorial and Museum of the Holocaust on Thursday, Jan. 9. Tickets are $18 and $30. Curtain time is 8 p.m. in the Gindi Auditorium of the University of Judaism, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Bel-Air. Call (310) 651-3175 or (213) 879-4114.

A course entitled “Introduction to Feminist Spirituality” will be offered by the Immaculate Heart College Center beginning Jan. 10. Taught by Dr. Pat Reif, the course will cover contemporary Christian, Jewish and “unorthodox” approaches to feminist spirituality.

The study goal is to relate spirituality to issues of social justice, peace and women’s changing roles throughout the world. For information, call Dr. Reif at (213) 386-3116.

Three-time near-death survivor Reinee Pasarow will speak on near-death experiences Saturday, Jan. 11. Music and a potluck dinner at 8 p.m. precede the talk at the Los Angeles Baha’i Center, 5755 Rodeo Road at La Cienega. (213) 933-8291.

Kevin DeWindt, of the Rainbow Society for the Deaf, will speak about being deaf and gay at Lutherans Concerned Los Angeles, a ministry for gay and lesbian understanding. His talk, to be given Sunday, Jan. 12, will follow a 5 p.m. worship service and potluck dinner. The meeting is at St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church, 11031 Camarillo St., North Hollywood. (213) 665-LCLA.

CONFERENCE

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America held a national leadership conference this week in Los Angeles for lay people and clergy. The group, which has 1,000 affiliated synagogues in North America, is the largest and oldest Orthodox synagogue body, founded 92 years ago.

Please address notices to: Southland File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. Items about upcoming events must arrive at least two weeks before to the event to receive consideration.