Yosef Ba-Gad

Yosef Ba-Gad was born in 1932 in Jerusalem

Yosef Ba-Gad was born on 10 February 1932 in Motza, near Jerusalem, during the Mandate era. He is a grandson of Yerachmiel Steinberg, the mukhtar of Motza.

He studied at the Kfar HaRoeh and Hebron yeshivas. After serving in the Nahal, he trained as a teacher at the Mizrachi seminary in Jerusalem. He later earned a master's degree in Bible and education from Bar-Ilan University.

In 1955 he founded the Nehalim yeshiva, affiliated with Bnei Akiva, and later headed it until 2004. He developed a method of Talmud study organized by topic. In 1988 he won the Rabbi Toledano Prize for Torah literature.

He was elected to the Knesset on the Moledet list in 1992. In 1996 he left the party, sat as an independent and founded the Moreshet Avot party, but lost his seat. His attempt to run for prime minister in 1999 was disqualified over suspected fraudulent signatures.

In 2005 he was indicted over his 1999 campaign. In 2007 he was convicted under a plea bargain of aggravated forgery and attempted fraud and sentenced to 6 months of community service. In 2013 he was named an honored citizen of Petah Tikva, where he lives.