The Mediterranean monk seal who has become a celebrity in Israel over the past few weeks has been spotted again – this time at a closed military section of a beach in the central city of Rishon Lezion.

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Affectionately named "Yulia," the endangered mammal "looked healthy and is in good shape," the Nature and Parks Authority posted to social media.

The authority said that she was found during a Monday morning scan for sea turtle nests at Firing Range 24, a beach belonging to the Defense Ministry that is used for artillery and explosive material.

Yulia has been spotted several times beaching herself in different coastal areas of Israel since she caused a stir earlier this month while basking on a Tel Aviv beach.

Mediterranean monk seals are considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, with as few as 350 mature seals estimated to exist in the wild. Their population has been devastated by seal hunting, fishing and habitat destruction.

The Nature and Parks Authority, which tracks Yulia's movements, said that on Sunday night she was spotted in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, but went back to sea after people approached her.

"Please keep your distance and allow her to come up safely to rest on the beach," the authority urged the public.

 Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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A rare seal was spotted on a beach in central Israel, with volunteers protecting it until it decides to return to sea.

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The Nature and Parks Authority said the Mediterranean Monk Seal is female and around 3-5 years old. She was named Julia, a name given by Muhammad, a child who was at the beach and helped the volunteers protect the mammal.

Video: Rare seal makes landfall on Israel's shore (Credit: Nature and Parks Authority)

Julia has so far spent three days ashore. Experts stressed that its presence did not indicate any danger to its habitat.

According to Guy Levian, the head of the Marine Unit at the Nature and Parks Authority, it was the first time a seal was sighted resting on the shore in Israel. In 2010, a seal was seen for the first time riding waves close to a Herzliya beach but did not come ashore.

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The seal, which was used to sign documents, bears the Hebrew name and title "Adoniyahu asher al habayit," which literally translates as "Adoniyahu, who is over the house."

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 The term, which means "royal steward," is used throughout the Bible to describe the most senior official serving under a king of Judea or Israel.

According to archaeologist Eli Shukron, who conducted the initial excavations on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority just north of the City of David at the foundation stones of the Western Wall, "This is the first time this kind of archaeological discovery has been made in Jerusalem. The biblical title 'asher al habayit' was the highest-ranking ministerial position beneath the king during the reigns of the kings of Judea and Israel."

As small as it is, the seal is of tremendous significance, said Doron Spielman, vice president of the City of David Foundation, which operates the site where the seal was discovered as well as the Archaeological Experience, where it was uncovered.

"This tiny bulla has immense meaning to billions of people worldwide – the personal signet of a senior official to a biblical king from the First Temple period. This is another link in the long chain of Jewish history in Jerusalem that is being uncovered and preserved at the City of David on a daily basis," said Spielman.

The seal is approximately 1 centimeter (two-fifths of an inch) wide, and according to the writing on it dates to the seventh century BCE – the period of the Kingdom of Judea.

The term "asher al habayit" appears for the first time in the list of King Solomon's ministers. This role is mentioned in the Bible in reference to a number of figures, all of whom had considerable influence in the kingdom.

For example, "Ovadyahu asher al habayit" is mentioned in I Kings as having served in that role in the Kingdom of Israel under King Ahab during times of the Prophet Elijah. Ovadyahu acted against Isabel in administering the kingdom and even saved 100 Israelite prophets by hiding them in a cave.

French archaeologist Charles Clermont-Ganneau discovered a burial cave with the inscription: "Tomb of … yahu asher al habayit" some 150 years ago. The beginning of the name had been erased, but the burial site, on the outskirts of the City of David, was also dated to the seventh century BCE. Although discovered by Clermont-Ganneau, the inscription was only deciphered by Professor Nachman Avigad some 80 years later.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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